Haven
by JoMarchWrites
Summary: Elliot Stabler is about to go through Hell, personally and professionally. He leans on the only person he can trust, the only person in whom he has unfaltering faith, and comes to a life-altering realization. In the midst of a case that puts his life, and hers, in jeopardy, he seeks solace and stability with her. He vows to keep her safe, at all costs. (EO pairing, case-driven)
1. Chapter 1

**_Part 1: The Realization Hits_**

 ** _Law and Order: SVU is the intellectual property of Dick Wolf. The use of the characters, settings, and plotlines is not malicious. This is a work of fiction._**

The middle of the night.

He hated the middle of the night.

It was the same damn thing, he'd shoot out of a seemingly sound sleep, a layer of cold sweat covering his body. He'd peel himself away from the leather couch, his bed for the last three months, and run into the bathroom, where he'd splash cool water on his face, knowing it wouldn't help. Then, he'd lay back down, stare at the cracks and chipping paint on the ceiling, and think too much about the one person who could make all of his problems go away.

Tonight was no different, his weary eyes focused on a brown water-spot in the corner of the ceiling. He shook his head and blinked, and then he reached for his phone. "Shit," he sputtered, seeing that it was too early to get up and get ready for work, and too late to bother going back to sleep. Not that he could. He sighed, dropping his phone back to the table, and he folded his arms under his head. He let his eyes close, mumbling something as his thoughts drifted back to her.

he let out a low, unhappy moan as her face crept into the empty space behind his eyelids. "Fuck, she's beautiful," he muttered, unable to control the smile forming on his face. He watched as his dream-girl ran through his mind, and just as he was about to make his vision a real fantasy, his phone chirped. His eyes shot open and his heart pounded. "Holy shit," he hissed, shaking off the sudden shock of being snapped out of his state of blissful torture.

He sat up and rolled the tension out of his neck as he grabbed his phone again, this time welcoming the disturbance. "Stabler," he grumbled, answering the call. "Yeah, yeah, I got it. No, uh, no, I'll go get her. Thanks." With a yawn, he hung up and then dialed a new number. He held the phone to his ear as he rose to his feet and padded as softly as he could into what used to be his bedroom. "Hey," he whispered with a smile. Her voice always made him smile. He grabbed a shirt off of a hanger as he said, "Sorry to wake you, but...oh, oh, uh, me either, actually." He licked his lips, regretting not calling sooner. He didn't have to be so alone if she was wide awake with him. "I didn't ask questions, I just got the address," he explained, pulling on a pair of jeans.

He heard her speak, and he laughed. God, he loved her sense of humor, even at four-in-the-morning. "Hang on a sec," he said fast, then shoved his phone into his mouth, holding it with pressed lips as he pulled his shirt on over his head. He ran his hands through his hair and turned to pull a pair of socks out of his drawer. He put the phone back against his ear and sighed. "You there? Good, good. Um...the blue one. You look...you look good in blue." He smiled again, and this time other parts of body showed their approval as well, waking up and standing at attention at the mere thought of her, on the other end of the call, naked. He cleared his throat and rubbed his eyes as he wandered back into the living room.

He was hanging onto her every word as he sat on the arm of the sofa and pulled on his socks. "Why are you asking me? It's not like I...well, uh, no, I...I like it longer. Something about...well, I've always had this...I guess you could call it a fantasy..." he stopped when he heard her words, and he could almost picture the look on her face. His cock twitched at the thought and he squeezed his eyes shut and swallowed back hard. He was Catholic man, he was married, and he was trying like Hell to respect both God and his wife, but he had to face the truth.

He walked in his socked feet over to a small table next to his front door. "You have, huh? Well, I learn something new about you every day, don't I?" he teased her, laughing at her midnight confession. He pulled a drawer open, grabbed a thick envelope, and said, "I'll be there in ten minutes. The way I drive? It's ten." He chuckled as he shoved himself into his sneakers, and as he opened a second drawer, he sighed. "I'll bring coffee, how's that?" He smiled softly, hanging up, and put the phone in his pocket. He hooked his gun and holster to his belt, clipped his badge beside it, and ran a hand down his face as he made a very conscious, though sleep-deprived, decision.

He grabbed his jacket off of the hook and walked out of his house, locking the door behind him. He jogged down the steps, pulling his coat on, and whistled a melody he wasn't even sure he knew as he unlocked his car. He realized, and he rolled his eyes. "Fucking happy about going to work at four-in-the-fucking-morning," he chided himself. He jammed the key into the ignition and turned, backing out of his driveway.

He cursed under his breath when he realized he left without saying goodbye to his wife, but he knew it didn't matter. It was no longer part of his routine, and he didn't deem it important enough. He turned left, spinning the wheel in his hands and the ones in his head. He didn't know how it happened, or when, but he knew why. He had a long list of reasons he had fallen in love with his partner, and he finally had the resolve and self-awareness to admit it.

He slowed the car, and then as it came to a stop, he rolled down the window. "Yeah," he responded to the static-filled voice who asked if he needed help. "I need two venti mocha lattes, extra hot, extra shots, no foam, one with whipped cream, one without, and use the liquid sweetener please?" He fished a crumpled twenty dollar bill out of his pocket as he let the car drift to the window. He coughed and scratched at his chin has he handed the barista the money. Waiting for his change and his coffee, he wondered how he would tell her. Would he slip it in with his morning greeting? Would he drop the bomb on her when they got back to the station? Or, and this was his first choice, would he drive her home, pick up a late dinner somewhere, and look into her eyes as he said it, so he could see the look in her eyes.

On second thought, maybe he wouldn't go with that one. It would kill him if that look on her face wasn't a happy one.

He took the hot cups from the young kid and nodded his thanks, letting his foot off the break just a bit as he placed the coffees in the cup-holders. He took a breath, letting it out hard as he relaxed his shoulders and tried to get comfortable in his driver's seat. He nodded once at himself, as if giving himself a seal of approval, and he drove out onto the road again, heading over the bridge to Manhattan, heading to his safe haven.

Olivia.

 _ **Reviews are always appreciated and motivating**_

 _ **Peace and Love**_

 _ **Jo**_

 _ **MarchCommaJo on Twitter**_


	2. Chapter 2

**_Law and Order: SVU is the intellectual property of Dick Wolf. The use of the characters, settings, and plotlines is not malicious. This is a work of fiction._**

He pulled up to her apartment, his body relaxing as he laid his eyes on her. He smiled as she walked toward his car, and he leaned over the console to open her door for her.

"Thanks," he heard her say as he watched her get in and buckle her seatbelt. She sat back and he handed her coffee to her. He winked as she sipped and drove off toward their destination.

"How'd you sleep?" he asked, his eyes switching from the road to her face. He noticed something in her eyes, something either new or just never seen before, and it made his heart beat a little faster.

"I didn't," she replied with a shrug.

"Thought it was just me," he laughed, slapping the blinker bar and slowing the car to turn the corner. "Everything okay?"

He saw her sip her coffee as she shook her head. "Not okay, but not...terrible," she told him, taking another sip of her latte. "This is good, thanks," she raised the cup and smiled at him.

He grinned at her, taking another turn. "I know how to keep you happy," he said smugly. He heard the light laughter and his heart sped again. God, he loved her laugh. "I, uh, I think I'm gonna need one of those patented Benson back massages, later."

"You got your ass kicked out onto the couch again?" She laughed and rolled her eyes.

"No, it...it's been a voluntary self-eviction," he joked. He turned down another side road, clearing his throat. "There's something...something I should probably tell you, but I don't..." He kicked his lips and then scraped his top teeth along his bottom lip, thinking. He pulled the car over, parking behind a black-and-white with its lights flashing. He turned the key, and then turned to look at her. "It's over. This time it's...really over."

He saw the look in her eyes, that same unfamiliar spark now brighter, and he wasn't sure if it was relief or despair. "Say something."

She blinked, took another sip of her coffee, and said, clearly, "We have work to do."

He laughed. "Okay, say something else. I know you've gotta be thinking..."

"Right now, I'm thinking that it's been a good morning so far, we have a vic waiting on us, and I don't want to think about..." She paused and looked at him with a crooked eyebrow, her cup finding its way to her lips again. "Wait, what's over?"

He narrowed her eyes and chuckled. "You really haven't been sleeping, huh?"

She unhooked her seatbelt and sent him a wink, one hand opening her door and the other bringing her latte to her lips for one last sip before she had to toss it. "You'll get an honest reaction later, okay? We really do have work to do, I don't need the distraction."

He watched her get out of the car, jumping when she slammed the door. He cleared his throat and exhaled slowly before getting out of the car himself. He drank his coffee slowly as he walked toward the taped off scene, catching up to Olivia. She turned her head, and he lost his grip on sanity for a brief moment. He could smell her shampoo, her body wash, her perfume. He offered a smile, and then sipped his coffee again, nodding his thanks when someone lifted the yellow tape for them.

They walked at the same speed, with the same gait, and they met the medical examiner and two uniformed officers near the body of their victim, lying in the grass, littered with twigs, and leaves. "What do we have?" Elliot asked, giving Olivia a few sidelong glances while he waited for an answer.

Melinda Warner turned her head, looking up at the pair over her shoulder. "How many years we worked together, you two have never brought me coffee."

Olivia laughed, and Elliot smiled, again filling with warmth at the sound of her happiness. Olivia tossed her empty cup into one of the nearby trash cans, and folded her arms. "We'll get you, next time. What's her story?"

Elliot sipped his drink, trying to focus on what Doctor Warner was about to tell them, but he couldn't get the way Olivia looked at him when they were in the car out of his head. He could swear, solemnly and so help him God, that her eyes were trying to convey a deep truth to him, convince him that he was making the right choice and moving in the right direction, and that it wasn't all in vain.

"Elliot!" Olivia's voice called, and he snapped his head toward her. "Are you with me?"

"Of course," he said with a grin. "I just, um, can you repeat that?" He made a face at her and looked at Doctor Warner. "Please?"

Melinda shook her head and sighed. "I said, your girl here was shot, point blank range," she said, holding out a small evidence bag. "Pulled this out of her skull."

Olivia took the bullet from her and shoved it into her pocket. "We'll have ballistics work with it."

"Was she raped before or, uh, after she was killed?" Elliot asked, though he didn't really want to hear the answer on an empty stomach.

Doctor Warner moved a gloved hand over the victim's skirt. "Before," she said. "She has defensive wounds, and the torn clothes indicate a struggle prior to the sexual assault. And yes, there are fluids present."

"You'll let us know when you run it?" Elliot asked. He watched her nod and then he took a gander at Olivia, for the first time getting a good look at the outfit she had on. He smiled, remembering his part in helping her choose it.

Olivia gave him a questioning look when she caught him staring, but shook her head and him and asked Melinda, "We got a name?"

Doctor Warner sighed dejectedly. "No ID on her, but she's wearing a graduation ring. This year." She looked down at the girl again. "Damn shame she didn't make it to June." Another sigh escaped her as she looked back toward the detectives. "Horace Mann, a high school in the Bronx. According to the ring, her name is Chelsea."

"That's one of the best schools in the city," Elliot said, stunned. "Fucking forty-five grand a year for high school, you have to be a goddamn genius, and it's a helluva commute. This girl should not be..." He cleared his throat and took a breath. "How'd she end up like this?"

"I'm the medical examiner," Melinda said, staring blankly at him. "You're the detective."

He laughed and took a sip of his coffee, and then handed it over to Olivia. "Just thinking out loud," he said. He watched Olivia take a sip from his coffee, no hesitation at all, and something within him cracked and softened. "We'll take a ride out to the school, see if this is the Chelsea on the senior roster. And then we...tell the parents."

"I was right," Olivia said, handing him his cup back. "We're gonna need more coffee."

"Is that all you got?" Elliot asked, sending the empty cup sailing into the trash can on the other side of Olivia.

Melinda scoffed. "Well, for now, yes," she said. "When I get her on my table and do a thorough exam, I'll know more."

"All right, then," he responded with a nod, "Let's go, Liv."

Olivia looked at Melinda, who gave her a warning look as she said, "Good luck with him today." She laughed and said, "Yeah, I'll need it."

Elliot gave her an offended glare and said, "Hey! Not nice!"

She laughed and followed him back under the tape, hitting him playfully in the shoulder. "You know you're a handful sometimes."

"So are you," he quipped, and at the moment he was fighting the urge to grab a handful of her. "You never told me...why you're not sleeping." He opened the car door for her, politely bowing and giving a flourish of his hand.

Rolling her eyes, she got in and had to laugh. She moved her leg so he could close the door.

He ran around to the driver's side and got himself settled in before he stuck the key into the ignition. "Well, it wasn't a carriage ride, but it was Central Park at sunrise."

"Oh, yeah cause that was real romantic," she intoned sarcastically. She let out a breath and looked at him as he began to drive. "You really wanna know what's been keeping me up at night?"

He nodded slowly, thinking that maybe he didn't. What if it was someone else, someone she'd been seeing? But he'd know if she was seeing someone, wouldn't he? "Yeah," he breathed.

She bit her lip, and as the car rolled to a stop at the light, she said, "You."

He stared at her, frozen, unblinking. The smile pulled at the corners of his mouth and his heart started drumming. He opened his mouth, but the bright headlights of the car careening toward them stopped him from speaking.

His reaction time was incredible; he'd yanked off his seatbelt and hurled himself over to her side of the car, covering her with his body. They felt the impact of the crash and held each other tight as the car spun around and slammed into a tee on the other side of the road.

When he was sure they had stopped moving, he looked down at her. "Liv! Liv, are you..."

"I'm okay," she said, nodding, trying not to react too strongly to his hands roaming over her. "El, I'm fine."

He moved and shifted over her, opening her door and falling out of the mangled car. He heard the sirens, and as he pulled her out of the vehicle, he watched the car that had driven into them back up, the tires screeching, and head for them again. His eyes widened and he pulled her with him as he ran back toward the park entrance.

"I don't think that was an accident," Olivia shouted as they ran, her heels hitting the sidewalk hard.

"What gave it away?" he spat back. He stopped running, panting, when they reached the crowd of uniformed cops and crime scene specialists. He turned around and watched as two squad cars chased after the dented, red car that had almost crushed him and his partner.

Doctor Warner, wide-eyed, ran over to them. "What the hell just happened?"

Olivia looked at Elliot and then at her. She shook her head as she struggled to catch her breath.

Elliot pulled her into him, hugging her as he, too, breathed hard. "I have no idea."

 _ **Reviews are always appreciated and motivating.**_

 _ **Peace and Love**_

 _ **Jo**_

 _ **MarchCommaJo on Twitter**_


	3. Chapter 3

_**Law and Order: SVU is the intellectual property of Dick Wolf. The use of the characters, settings, and plotlines is not malicious. This is a work of fiction.**_

"I'm fine," Olivia snapped, moving away from her captain and closer to her partner. She didn't notice him put his arm around her. She held up a hand and made a disgusted face when her captain tried to hand her a tall green and white cup. "And I don't want any more coffee, I'm shaking enough as it is."

Cragen sighed, his hot breath causing a cloud of white in the air. "Can you remember anything else?" he asked, taking a sip of the coffee in his hand, not wanting it to go to waste. "Either of you?"

Elliot shook his head. "We were stopped at the red light, I saw the headlights, I knew the car was heading for us...I just...I jumped on top of Liv and we held on until the car stopped spinning."

Olivia folded her arms and looked at Cragen. "We told you, three times," she said. "There are witnesses, the traffic camera caught the whole thing, so can we please get back to..."

Cragen interrupted her. "Fin and Munch went to the school. Until we figure out who tried to mow you down, you're out of the field. Starting now."

"What?" Olivia snapped, moving away from Elliot. "That's not...this isn't the first time someone tried to..."

"Exactly," Cragen retorted. He pointed at her firmly. "The two of you...get a ride back with Grecco in a black and white, get back to the house, and stay in the squad room." He shot the two detectives meaningful looks, took another sip of his coffee, and walked away, hoping someone had answers for him.

Olivia shook her head, biting her lip. She turned to complain to Elliot, but froze when she saw him talking to a pretty redhead. She watched him laugh and pull a thick envelope out of his pocket, handing it to her with a grin. Her blood ran cold when she watched the redhead bat her eyelashes and rest a hand on his shoulder before turning and walking away. She hadn't even acknowledged Olivia.

Elliot turned his head, then, and his eyes focused on his partner's. He smiled and beckoned her over to him with a still-shaking hand. He chuckled when he saw the look of annoyance on her face. "If looks could kill," he teased, nudging her with his elbow when she sat beside him, on the silver fender of a squad car. "Casey...she, uh, she's doing me a favor."

"Yeah, I'll bet," she said, trying to smile but knowing it came off as more of a challenging smirk. She rolled her eyes at herself.

"Easy," he laughed. "Not like that." He sighed, still looking at her, and he reached out his trembling fingers to brush a strand of her hair behind her ear. "You sure you're okay?"

He felt her slap him in the chest and watched as she jutted her chin toward the uniformed officer with whom they were supposed to ride back to the station. He moved with her as she rose to get into the other car.

"Fine," she said, acknowledging his question. "Just fucking fine."

He chuckled as he opened the back door to the car for her. He let her slide in and then scooted in next to her. "I know Casey isn't your favorite person right now..."

"Ever," she retorted.

He laughed again, watching her nostrils flare a bit. He leaned closer to her, brushed her hair aside, and whispered, right in her ear, "She's bringing signed divorce papers to the courthouse for me." He leaned back, taking in the befuddled expression on her face. He licked his lips, pridefully accepting the effect he had on her. "I was gonna drop them off on the way back from Horace Mann, but...after the crash, I knew we'd never get there...I called her, and she came to get them, so..."

"Why?" She whipped her head to her right to look at him. "Why do you think she hauled her ass all the way out to Central Park, just to pick up papers that, in all honesty, could have waited until tomorrow to..."

"You think Casey has the hots for me?" he asked her, poking his tongue into the side of his cheek.

"Think? No," she scoffed, bitterly chuckling as she looked away from him. "I know she does. So do you."

"Liv," he said, clearing his throat and moving closer to her, "You know it doesn't matter, right?" He watched her shoulders rose and fall and he knew her resolve was fading. "You know...there's only one person I'm...well, uh, I just...I don't care about what Novak thinks or wants or..." he stopped, seeing that she wasn't turning to look at him. He exhaled and ran a hand down his face, realizing he sucked at this.

His breath hitched when he saw her head start to turn, and he caught a bit of that gleam in her eyes that he'd been seeing all morning. He offered her a small smile. "There she is," he whispered, winking.

"What?" she asked, raising an eyebrow. "Who?"

He ignored her questions as she laughed again. "You know. Right? I mean...you...you have to know." He stiffened when she showed no sign of understanding. "C'mon," he said, making a face that displayed frustration and fear.. "Liv, you...you know!" He was panicking now, his heart thumping against his rib-cage.

She stared at him a moment longer, and then her sneaky smile grew. "Yeah," she said, her eyes closing and opening slowly. "I know."

"Fucking hell," he breathed, sighing harshly and clutching his chest. "Jesus. Don't fucking do that to me."

"I couldn't resist," she laughed, "You deserved it for using Casey's little crush on you to your advantage. You knew she'd..."

"Oh, please," he interrupted with a roll of his eyes. "You think I don't know that you use...whoa!"

"Hey!" Olivia shouted at Officer Grecco, who'd stopped short. "One crash is enough, today!"

"Sorry, Detectives," the cop said, visibly shaken. "I hit...I think I hit something." He turned to look over his seat at them. "There was nothing there, I swear, I didn't see anything! I just felt...underneath the car..."

"Okay, okay," Elliot said, huffing as he got out of the car. "We're here, anyway." He waved a hand over his shoulder, gesturing to the precinct behind him. He knelt down and looked under the car, squinting. "There isn't anything under...oh, wait, hold on." He reached a hand under the wheel. "What the hell is..."

"Elliot!" Her voice hit his ears at the same time her arms wrapped around his waist. She pulled him back, dragging him over the gravelly road, just before the car sped off, screeching down the block.

"Shit!" he gasped, leaping to his feet. He turned to her. "How did you know..." He stared at her as she shook her head, panting, puffs of her hot breath visible. He noticed the color had drained from her face, her hands were shaking as they skimmed over his arms and chest, checking for injury for the second time in less than five hours. "I'm okay," he whispered, breathing as heavily as she was. He lifted a hand to her cheek and his thumb brushed away the beginnings, and ending, of tears. "I'm okay."

She nodded, but couldn't speak. She shut her eyes tight, swallowed, and let her hands fall away from him.

"Detective Stabler!" Grecco shouted, running to him. "Are you all right? I tried to stop him..."

"It wasn't you?" Elliot queried, confused.

"No," the young cop said. "No, Sir. Of course not! I got out of the car to escort Detective Benson, and he came out of nowhere! He knocked me over, he...he just..."

"All right," Elliot said, brushing himself off and glancing at Olivia, and then he glared at Grecco. "Call this in, tell them what happened, and that we got a stolen squad car."

Olivia looked at him, shock and fear on her face, but her voice was steady. "Who the hell did you piss off?"

He laughed, pulling her in for another comforting hug, and his eyes closed as his head fell onto her shoulder. "Same person you did, obviously." He took a deep breath and pulled off of her, looking into her eyes. "Guess we're even."

"If you...if you didn't jump over to my side of the car...you would have been..." She pressed her lips tigers and stared at him for a minute, before the rush of clomping feet drew near.

"You two!" Cragen barked. "Again? Are you fucking kidding me?" He held up his walkie-talkie. "Grecco just radioed this in, I wasn't even halfway up the stairs, are you both okay?"

Elliot nodded. "Yeah, yeah, uh, Liv...she's pretty fucking strong." He smirked and winked at Olivia.

Cragen raised a brow, seeing it, but let it go for the time being. "We think it's the same punk-ass who tried to..."

"Flatten us like pancakes?" Olivia said, folding her arms.

Cragen paled, swallowed hard, and nodded. "They chased the bastard from the park, but the pursuit ended two blocks from here. The guy abandoned the car. Figure he must've been waiting out here for you two." He looked around cautiously. "Inside, now." He paddled his eyes from Elliot to Olivia. "I'm not letting either of you out of my sight."

"Yo!" Fin yelled, slamming his car door. "What the hell is going on?" He ran over to the trio and gave Olivia a long look, up and down, surveying for damage. He turned to look at Elliot and slapped him on the shoulder, gripping. "Heard all this on the radio, got here as fast as we could. You all right, man?"

Elliot nodded. "Yeah, just...fucking confused."

"Well, maybe I can clear some of it up for you," Munch injected, stepping up and putting his hands in his pockets. "The vic in the park? Her name is Chelsea Koehler."

"Whoa," Olivia jerked her head toward Munch with wide eyes. "As in Judge Koehler?"

Munch nodded. "Exactly, as in, actually. She's his granddaughter. I'm guessing whoever is trying to whack the two of you is trying to stop you from solving this case."

"Koehler is still behind bars," Elliot said, shaking his head. "We put him away."

Fin licked his lips. "Maybe that's why this son-of-a-bitch is after you." He gave Elliot a shove and then did the same to Olivia. "I'll fill you in on what we got from the school, and the parents, when we get inside."

Olivia gave Elliot a sidelong glance as they walked up the steps to the Sixteenth Precinct, and something powerful passed between them.

Elliot felt it, with his heart and soul. He knew, in that moment, what he needed from her more than anything. He only hoped he would survive, so he would be able to get it.

 _ **Reviews are welcome.**_

 _ **Peace and Love**_

 _ **Jo**_

 _ **MarchCommaJo on Twitter**_


	4. Chapter 4

**_Law and Order: SVU is the intellectual property of Dick Wolf. The use of the characters, settings, and plotlines is not malicious. This is a work of fiction._**

It had been three hours since he was nearly run over, since his partner had pulled him by the ankles across a busy city street to save him. He was sitting in his chair, coffee in his hands, wearing a blue NYPD logo tee and jeans. He shook his head, taking a sip from his mug as he remembered the torn clothes he'd so carefully chosen to wear now lay crumpled in an evidence bag. He eyed the clock, watching the red second hand taunt and torment him. "This isn't fucking fair," he spat, the cup coming to his lips again.

"No," she replied, hearing him from across the desks. "It's not."

He looked at her, as if just noticing she was there. He took in the worried expression on her face, the fear he could see in her eyes, and he held his breath for a moment, afraid the moment he so much as blinked, she'd crumble.

"Stop looking at me like that," she said to him, catching him staring.

He shook his head, snapping out of his daze. "Sorry, I just..." he stopped, seeing her bottom lip quiver. He shot up, out of his seat, and bounded over to her. He was kneeling beside her in an instant, cupping her face. "Don't." He shook his head again, this time demanding and fast. "Please, don't."

"I almost lost you, twice," she all but whispered. "I don;t even know why I...I mean, you're not..." she sniffled and gulped. She couldn't look at him. "You're my partner. My best friend." She froze as his thumbs swiped away tears at the corners of her eyes.

He swallowed a lump that had formed in his throat, keeping his own tears at bay. "And you're mine," he whispered. "You don't have to worry about me, I'm not going anywhere," he said with a wink and a nod of his head. "I'm not leaving you." He smiled moved, unconsciously and without provocation, closer to her. He felt his hot, quick breath ricochet off of her lips, and he closed her eyes in anticipation. His heart knocked against his chest, echoing in his ears, and every nerve in his body was on fire. He was close. So, so close.

"Elliot," Casey Novak called into the squad room, effectively stopping what would have been a miraculous moment.

Elliot leaped to his feet and cleared his throat, turning to stare at the red-headed lawyer. "Yeah," he said, running his tongue along his teeth. His mouth had gone dry.

Casey stepped over to him, letting her attache case fall open. She reached a manicured hand into the large center pocket, pulled out a large envelope, and handed it to him. "His name is Roger Fielding, and he's the best in the city. You give him your terms, and he'll settle it, no hearing required."

"Thanks," he said with a grin. He hit the envelope into the open palm of his other hand. "Really, I can't thank you enough for..."

"Don't mention it," Casey said, smiling brightly at him. She tossed her head back, flipping her hair, and said, "Now that you're, uh, playing the field again, maybe we can finally get that drink."

He looked beyond Casey toward Olivia, who was sitting straight, poised, with a scornful scowl on her face and a menacing look in her eyes. Her hands were still, frozen in place, holding her coffee cup in mid-sip. He chuckled, rocking on his heels, and then looked back at Casey. "I appreciate the offer, but, uh, I'm not. Not, um, playing the field. Not really."

Casey narrowed her eyes. She tilted her head, trying to discern the meaning behind his words from his body language. "I thought...well, damn. Stabler, you really are a good, little Catholic boy, aren't you?"

He shrugged. "I try," he said, his signature cocky grin spread about his lips.

"Well, uh, when you're ready for your turn at bat," Casey said, attempting to give him a sultry smile, "Call me." She narrowed her eyes slightly, turned on her heels, and left the room, not even acknowledging Olivia.

He raised both eyebrows and tossed the envelope onto his desk. "Is she something else, or what?"

"What," Olivia spat bitterly, answering his hypothetical question.

He laughed, but then narrowed his eyes at her, seeing how her grimace had grown severe. "Hey, I already told you, I have no desire to..."

"What did she mean, finally?" Olivia interrupted. "You planned on going out with her, before? When?"

"Calm down," he eased, resting a hand on her shoulder.

She stood up fast, slapping his hand away. "After what she did? Are you serious? I thought you had more common sense than that. Or at least, better taste."

"Liv," he said, looking into her eyes as intently as he could, "I do. I have more sense than you think. And...my taste? Casey Novak can't hold a candle to the woman I..."

"You know what? Forget it," she cut him off and walked back over to the table where the coffee pot lived. "I don't care. I don't want to know."

Elliot followed her, ripping the pot out of her hand and pouring her coffee for her. "You can be really fucking thick sometimes." He slammed the pot back onto the hotplate, and then he grabbed two packets of yellow-wrapped sweetener, tearing them open and dumping them into her cup.

She watched him fix her coffee for her and stir it with a plastic spoon. "What the hell are you..."

He grunted in frustration and moved a bit closer to her. "You, okay!" he hissed in a harsh whisper. "It's you. It's always been you. Casey could walk back in here in a silk teddy and sit on my fucking lap, and I wouldn't notice, because I would still be staring at you!"

She was silent, staring into his darkened, wild eyes, gripping her cup of fresh coffee. She looked away from him, took a breath, hardly feeling her chest rise and fall. What he'd just said, the finality and firmness in his voice, scared her. But somewhere, deep down, part of her that had been broken for so long began to heal.

"Say something," he whispered, staring at her, trying to determine what she was feeling by her reaction. He was scared. He hadn't meant to blurt it out, he'd planned to tell her in so many ways, and that certainly wasn't one of them. "Please? Just say something."

She took a sip of her coffee and another deep breath, finally turning back to face him. "I'd kill her," she finally spoke.

"I know," he chuckled, reaching out a hand and smoothing her hair back. "You, uh, you wanna tell me why?"

"Maybe, um, after we find out who tried to..." her voice broke, and she changed her mind about thinking again that she almost lost him. "After," she told him, taking a sip of her coffee. "That divorce of yours is final." She folded one arm over her chest, the other holding her coffee up to her lips again. "And then, uh, you and me? We're the ones who are gonna be playing ball." She walked away, satisfied that he had been stunned into a stupor. "Hey," she said, spotting Fin and Munch coming through the door. "Any luck?"

Munch sighed and peered at her over the edge of his sunglasses. "With the case, or with trying to find the bastard out to get you?"

"Either," she said with a shrug. "Both."

Fin dropped into his chair with a hard grunt. "Crime lab has the squad car, looking for prints."

As if just realizing Olivia had left him alone by the coffee pot, Elliot blinked a few times and noticed Munch and Fin. "When did you guys get back?"

Munch shot him a befuddled expression. "You need to get some sleep."

"No, I...I am wide awake," Elliot said, sitting down at his desk. "You got anything on the girl?"

"Dear old graddad is still in the slammer," Munch said, "But her boyfriend seems to be dust in the wind. The mom pointed the finger, right at him."

"He has a record," Fin said, "A pretty thick one, and the last time he was locked up, guess who laid the gavel down?"

Elliot's jaw dropped. "You're shitting me?"

"Seriously?" Olivia asked redundantly. "Wait," she said, pausing. "We locked him up years ago, and that girl is only eighteen. There was no way her boyfriend could have been..."

Fin grinned and interrupted. "Juvenile sentence, when he was twelve," he folded his hands and looked from Elliot to Olivia. "I'm guessing he already knew who Chelsea was when they met, purposely got to close to her..."

"So his plan from the beginning was revenge," Elliot said, brow furrowed.

Olivia shook her head, flummoxed. "He got close to her, hell, got her to fall in love with him, just to get even with her grandfather?"

Munch tapped his nose once. "Bingo, Benson." He coughed and turned his attention to Elliot. "We're waiting for a phone call, we think we know where he's hiding out and Fin has someone on stand-by. They're gonna let us know if and when he shows up."

Elliot crossed his arms and leaned against his desk. "Where do you think he's going?"

Fin sighed, unsure of whether or not Elliot would jump to the wrong conclusion. "According to Chelsea's parents, he runs with a street-gang, they run base at The Loft, place in Queens..." he waited, and when the flash of recognition crossed Elliot's face, he said, "We, uh, we think he's after you and Benson, too."

"What's this fucker's name?" Elliot hissed, his blood pressure rising at the mention if the club that caused the downfall of, not only his marriage, but his oldest daughter's innocence.

Munch gave Fin a warning glance, and then he turned back toward Elliot. "Victor Haven."

"Haven," Elliot repeated. He sent a soft look in Olivia's direction. Before he could say anything her, though, Cragen ran out of his office, walking with clear intent over to the pin-board at the front of the room. "Benson, Stabler," he said, eyes narrow, "You two are heading out to a safe-house tonight. Don't fight me on it, I don't want to hear it, and I don't care what excuses you're coming up with as to why you can't. You don't have a choice here." He stepped aside and jabbed a finger at the photo he just stuck into the cork. "This is Victor Haven, the son of a bitch who's trying to take you out."

Munch snickered. "You're a bit late, Cap, I just told them that."

Cragen snapped his head toward Munch. "But what you didn't tell them is Haven isn't plotting this by himself!" He looked back at Elliot, not hazarding a glance at Olivia, knowing he would break if he saw her face. "I just got off the phone with a warden at Rikers, told me Haven's on someone's payroll."

Olivia looked at Elliot, her face losing color and expression rapidly. "El, you don't think..."

"Shit," Elliot spat, scrubbing his forehead with his hand. "Yeah, I do." He blinked. "Koehler."

Cragen gritted his teeth and nodded. "Koehler's had weekly visits from this punk, they're faxing over the sign-in sheets. Koehler paid off a lot of people to keep this quiet, but the guard that escorted him last time said...he overheard Koehler ordering three hits, told this son-of-a-bitch, Haven that in return, he'd get his record expunged in time for graduation."

Fin looked at Cragen, narrow-eyed. "He ordered a hit on his own grandkid?"

"No," Cragen said, shaking his head. "That was all this prick's idea, the three people Koheler wants dead are Olivia and Elliot," he paused, looked around at his detectives. "And me."

 _ **Reviews are always appreciated and motivating.**_

 _ **Peace and Love**_

 _ **Jo**_

 _ **MarchCommaJo on Twitter**_


	5. Chapter 5

**_Law and Order: SVU is the intellectual property of Dick Wolf. The use of the characters, settings, and plotlines is not malicious. This is a work of fiction._**

"Is that even a word?" she asked, staring at the wooden tiles on the board in front of her. "I don't..no, El, that's not a word!"

He rolled his eyes, laughing, and shook his head as he took away the squared-off letters. "It could be a word," he mused with a shrug. "Do you know all the words in the entire English language?"

"No, but I know a lot more than you, I guarantee you that. "Alfine' is definitely not a word." She gave him a narrow-eyed smirk and put her own tiles down on the board. 'Abdicate, however, is a word, and that, my friend, is all seven tiles, double-word score, that's twenty-six points. I just kicked your ass for the second time, Stabler!"

He chuckled and then rested his head on his right hand, staring at her with a longing look in his eyes. "I don't want to play games anymore," he said with a sigh.

"Game," she said, not looking at him, putting the tiles back into the velvet bag. "They only left us this one."

"Not...not just Scrabble," he said, clearing his throat. He scooted closer to her and looked directly into her eyes. "In general. I don't want to fuck around anymore, here. I think...we're stuck here, alone. We should...no, uh, we need to talk." He watched the color drain from her face as the words left his mouth. He saw her drop the Scrabble box onto the table and turn, slowly, toward him, and he knew the look on her face, the emotion in her eyes. It was something he'd seen often, and hated every time. "It's not..." he paused and reached for her hand. "It's not bad, okay? Well, at least, I hope not."

She dropped her eyes to his hand, gripping hers, and she watched his thumb move slowly over the side of her ring finger, seeing it before she felt it. It sent shivers up her spine. "What...what do we have to talk about?"

"I think you already know," he whispered. "It's funny, being here, like this." He looked around the large living room, taking in the unexpected homeyness of the safe-house to which they'd been relegated. "Before all this shit happened, I...I was gonna ask if I could crash at your place for a while. Give myself some distance from Kathy while I, uh, figure out how to be single again." He raised his eyebrows and sighed, something caught between relieved and dejected. "I wanted to spend a few nights with you, talk, watch awful movies and eat bad Chinese food." He shrugged. "Guess I get to spend my nights with you, anyway." He laughed softly and then cleared his throat, running his fingers along the side of her hand again. He looked into her eyes and his heart jerked. "What's happening, here?"

She gave a one-shoulder shrug, afraid to speak. She felt his hand still caressing hers, and the heat that rose in her body told her she knew exactly what was happening.

"If I had to say..." he stopped to swallow and lick his teeth, his mouth was suddenly dry and throat scratchy, "Yeah, I think it was our first case together. I watched you chase and tackle a man twice your size, bring him to his fucking knees and make him cry for his mommy...and when we found that little boy...you smiled at him, this incredibly warm, loving smile, and you became this...soft, nurturing..." he stopped again. "You held him and calmed him down, you had him laughing in minutes, and that's when. Definitely. You know, that has always amazed me. How you go from zero to sixty in seconds and how one minute you're ready, willing, and able to kill a grown man with your bare hands and the next you're the sweetest, most delicate woman...that I want protect and...love...for the rest of my life."

She gasped, softly but noticeably, and it was her hand that tightened around his this time. "That's when...what?" she asked, her heart pounding hard against her chest.

"That's when I knew I was falling in love with you," he told her, "And there wasn't a single, fucking thing I could do about it." He stood up, holding her hand, and tugged gently, coaxing her to her feet. He let out a relieved breath and moved with her toward the couch. He made sure she was comfortable before sitting beside her, his hand still clutching hers. "When did you know?"

"Know what?" she asked fast, her eyes darting around the room, avoiding meeting his.

He didn't even blink. He simply said, "Liv?"

She took a deep breath and slowly let her eyes slide in his direction. "This is...I mean, should we really be talking about this? Out loud?"

"We almost died," he told her with wide eyes. "Twice. Our first instinct was to save each other, and God, damn it, that means something!" He bit his lip and shook his head. "If this son-of-a-bitch gets close again, or if he...if he succeeds...I want this out, in the open. I want you to know." He leaned closer to her. "I want you to hear it, from me, and know how much I mean it." He moved even closer, his heavy breath against her lips, his pulse loud in his ears. "I love you."

Her world shattered, crumbled beneath her feet. She couldn't feel anything except freezing cold tingles running through her entire body. The words she'd always heard him say in her dreams, but always assumed she'd never really hear, had just come out of his mouth. His perfect, kissable mouth. She was staring, and she knew it, but she couldn't look away, even if she wanted to. She was absolutely petrified, in every sense of the word.

He let go of her hand, seeing the genuine fear in her eyes. "I'm not...I mean, I thought that..." he furrowed his brow. "Was I wrong?"

To prove to him, and maybe more to herself, that she was still alive and fully conscious, she shook her head adamantly. The expression on her face must have still been blank, though, because she could see pure confusion filling every pore of his face. "No," she croaked out, hoping to clarify.

"Okay," he breathed, inching closer to her. "Why do you look like I just told you I was a serial killer?"

She let out a trembling breath. "That was just...that was heavy, El. You gotta give me a minute or two to..." she looked up at him with a squint and perplexed smirk. "Did you really just tell me..."

"That I love you," he repeated. cutting her off, "Yes." He heaved another sigh and moved his right hand to rest on her knee. He squeezed lightly, over and over, mimicking the rhythm of his heartbeat. "You have to believe me when I tell you...I didn't mean for this to happen. I didn't want to spend the last five years loving someone I couldn't have...not loving my wife...knowing that no matter what decision I made, someone would get hurt, and knowing...knowing it would probably be me."

"You?" she questioned, dropping her hand over his, stopping his pulsing squeezes.

He nodded, slowly blinking, his forehead wrinkling. "I thought...up until a few months ago, anyway...that there was no way that you would ever...could ever..." he didn't want to sound ridiculous. He scraped his teeth along his lip and twisted his mouth into as confident a grin as he could muster. "As incredibly attractive and witty as I am, I thought you'd rather be with, I don't know, that federal fuckwad."

She couldn't help laughing, not only at his glorious disdain for Agent Porter, but at the adorable and slightly embarrassed expression on his face that he tried so desperately to hide with an arrogant smile. "What you said to me this morning, in the squad room...that it was always me?" She exhaled and looked into his eyes, feeling tightness creep into her chest. "Well, um...I guess, what I'm trying to say, here, is, uh, for me? It's always been you."

He made a face like Ralphie finally getting his Red-Ryder BB Gun for Christmas. He bent his head and shifted forward, but something stopped him. "Back to the first question," he said, grinning. "When did you know?"

She took a breath. Up until this moment, she hadn't even fully admitted it to herself. "Three weeks in," she said. "Uh, you...we had that horrible case, the flight attendant? Cragen benched me, he didn't understand why I was talking it so personally. But you...you knew, and you did everything you could to get me back on the case with you. You...you told Cragen. I mean, of course, he knew, but you really went in on him for it." She swallowed. "You came to my place that night, with a six-pack of beer and a pizza, and you told me he benched you, too." She laughed. "That night, the way we just...fell into this understanding that, no matter what, we'd always put each other first."

"Always," he said, nodding. "That's never gonna change."

She rubbed her eyes a bit and took another breath. "I never had someone go to bat for me the way you did, then, and...though I love watching you beat the shit out of people, and seeing the way you change when you're around your kids, I got to see this third side of you that night...one that maybe you didn't want me to see, but it made me realize..."

He waited with baited breath, mentally begging her to speak again, say it, tell him.

"It made me realize I was...in love with you," she barely whispered. She paled as soon as the words left her mouth.

He knew if he kissed her, at this moment, the way he wanted so badly to, he'd ruin his chances with her entirely. He thought for a moment, knowing that if he screwed things up, right off the bat, she'd never forgive him. Hell, he'd never forgive himself, either. He reached up and brushed the back of his hand against her cheek, and then he pushed her hair behind her ear. "That side of me you think I didn't want you to see? The only one who gets to see it is you...just you."

"Really?" she asked, laughing through the last of her tears. "I find that hard to believe."

"It's true," he said, smiling at her. "Whenever something happened, at home, at work, if I had an issue with the kids, or if Tucker was up my ass...it's always been you, who I run to, to make it all...just...go away. When I need to process something, you're the one I talk things out with, and you're the one that clears everything up. When I'm having a shitty day, you smile and suddenly it's all better. So, you see, Liv? I'm really...me...when I'm with you."

Heat filled her face, reddening her cheeks, but she smiled. She felt almost weightless, moving closer to him, and she turned his hand over and linked her fingers through his. "You already know. You're the only one who really gets to see me, too. At my best, at my worst...you're my family, El. I don't...I don't have anyone else." She sighed and turned her eyes up at him. "For years, I thought you and Kathy were falling apart because of me, because I got too close. I didn't have a family, so I imposed on yours, and I thought..."

"Olivia Benson," he cut her off, his voice dominate and his eyes narrow. He squeezed her hand tight. "You were never, ever an imposition. Not for me, my family, anyone. You never were, and you never will be."

She chuckled at his severity, but she smiled and nodded gently. "It felt like it, sometimes. Kathy and her dirty looks, questions I wasn't sure why your kids were asking..."

"None of that was because of you," he interrupted again, shaking his head with a soft, frustrated grunt. "Kathy...she always knew there was more than friendship between me and you, and she was jealous. Very. With good reason, obviously. The kids...well, they're my kids, so of course, they saw right through me, and figured out I had this, uh, raging crush on you, as they like to put it." He laughed. "They asked you inappropriate questions to dig up the real dirt on you, figure out what I'd be getting myself into. They weren't asking to hurt you, they were asking to..."

"Protect you," she said, nodding. "I get that, now." She blinked once and was suddenly hit with the full weight of the tension of the day, the reality of their situation, and the gravity of what he'd been saying to her. She didn't even realize she was crying until she felt wetness slip down her cheeks.

Wordlessly, he brushed away her tears, pressed his forehead to hers, and spent a few moments just breathing her in, syncing his heartbeat with hers. "We're okay," he said, a simple statement that held so much power and substance. It meant so many things, and nothing, all at once.

"What happened, El?" she asked, her voice wavering as she shook slightly. She moved a bit, an inch closer, but it seemed to close a much wider gap.

He wrapped his arms around her, his head still resting against hers, and he asked, "With what?"

"Kathy," she said before she could stop herself. "And don't tell me some bullshit about growing apart, or irreconcilable differences, okay? I want the truth." She bit her lip and raised her head, giving him a good, strong stare. Her red eyes leaked slowly and she sniffled again. "There's something I need to do, that I've been needing to do for...for so long, especially today, and I can't do it unless I know. I...I deserve the truth, Elliot."

He flinched at the use of his full first name, which was normally reserved for importance or discord when it passed between them. "You do," he agreed. "You always do. And with me, you get it, you know that, don't you? I can't lie to you."

She nodded and tilted her head. "So tell me."

He let out a long, hard breath, twisted to his left a bit, and slumped backward into the cushions of the couch. "I can't lie to you," he said again, "But God, damn it, Liv, I was so good at lying to her."

 ** _Peace and Love_**

 ** _Jo_**

 ** _MarchCommaJo on Twitter_**


	6. Chapter 6

**_Law and Order: SVU is the intellectual property of Dick Wolf. The use of the characters, settings, and plotlines is not malicious. This is a work of fiction._**

Olivia was staring, still and silent, watching Elliot's mouth moving. She was trying to focus on what he was telling her, but her blood had begun to run cold already, and she wasn't sure hearing was a sense she still possessed.

"I knew," he shrugged. "A long time ago, but I just...I kept reassuring her that nothing was going on, that I loved her, and that I wanted to work on our marriage." He coughed, shifted in his seat, and twisted a bit to look at her. "It got...annoying. The constant questioning, the accusations...whenever I told her we had to work late, or we got hung up on a case and I couldn't come home...I knew what she was thinking."

"She was wrong," Olivia spoke, though the words came out like a scratched record, croaked and cracked.

"Didn't matter," Elliot said, frowning and shaking his head. "After a while, I told her we had to work late, even when we didn't...just so I wouldn't have to go home to a cold house and that...that look in her eyes that meant...she didn't trust me anymore." He licked his lips. "I never cheated on her, you know it and I know it, but I wanted to...so many times...with you, Liv." He blinked once. "There were moments...I almost kissed you a thousand times, it would have been so easy...it was so hard not to, and...as faithful as I was, Kathy had already made up her mind. So...I just...started to let her believe it."

"Are you out of your mind?" Olivia asked, his confession registering and causing panic to build in her system. "Do you have any idea what she could have done to you? To us, if she would have..."

"It's not too far from the truth," he interrupted, a sure calmness in his voice. "I was with you, wasn't I? We didn't have to be fucking, because, let's face it, emotionally I was yours. Some part of me feels like that...that's worse." He ran a hand down his face, taking a few extra moments to scrub along his chin. "The last few times she brought it up, I didn't deny it. I didn't say anything at all, I just looked at her and...she knows nothing happened, Liv, she's not stupid. She knows me. She just...she wanted me to fight her on it, and I didn't have that kind of fight left in me."

She eyed him for a while, picking at her cuticles with her fingernails and biting the inner corners of her bottom lip. "She hates me, doesn't she?"

"No," he said with a soft, somewhat sad smile. "She actually thinks very highly of you. She knows how good of a person you are, how selfless. She knows you tried to keep our marriage together, even when...well, now I know, you wanted me as much as I wanted you, the whole time." He sighed and said, "She's always been scared of you. For about a hundred reasons. When she finally realized that her absolute worst fear had become a reality, it wasn't hate, it was jealousy and resentment."

"So...hate, then," Olivia said with a short laugh. "I don't blame her. I'm not exactly her biggest fan, either." She saw the question dancing in his eyes. "You know I was always jealous of her, El. She had the parts of you that I...that I wanted but...couldn't have."

"Until now," he said, just above a whisper, smirking at her. "Liv?"

She turned her head slightly, and her eyes landed on his. The light in them mesmerized her, and she couldn't look away. Her heart raced and her breath quickened, she saw him moving, her mind screamed, a blood-curdling cry, begging her to move, to somehow avoid what was heading her way, but her body was carved stone, rooted to the spot and rigidly refusing to budge.

He slowly slid closer to her, his head tilting and angling, his neck bending just a bit, and the smile on his face grew as he inched closer and closer to her lips. Whispering, so close to her that his lips brushed against hers as he spoke, he asked her, "Is this...can I..."

She swallowed hard, another lump forming in her throat as soon as the first had gone away. She felt his breath, just as panting and ragged as hers, against her lips. She jumped slightly, feeling his hands slide over her knees, up her thighs. She could tell his fingers were trembling; he was just as scared, just as nervous as she was. She held her breath and nodded, and when his lips moved that final millimeter, her heart stopped.

Every nerve in his body ignited when he kissed her. His hands trailed up her body to her face, and he cupped her head in his hands. He darted his tongue out, tracing the seam of her lips, shaking and waiting for her to either kiss him back or push him away.

With a whimper, she let her mouth open slightly, welcoming him home. Her arms, quivering, wrapped around his shoulders and hooked behind his neck.

Grunting, he pulled her closer, deepened his kiss and moaned her name softly into her mouth. His body, filled with heat, began to tingle from the tips of his toes to the crown of his head, and he knew by the way his heart skipped and sputtered that this was, hands down, the most thrilling and sentiment-riddled kiss of his entire life. He felt his muscles tighten and twitch, his cock stiffen, despite his desire to keep things limited to just this one, monumentally momentous kiss.

Kissing him still, she pressed into him, leaning her whole body against his and forcing him down flatter on the sofa.

He took the fall gratefully, moaning when his head hit the arm of the couch. His hands slid down her back, cupping her ass, squeezing firmly. He laughed through his eager kiss, hearing her low, long moan, and feeling her grind further into him. This was going to escalate, they were both fueling the fire and fanning the flames.

"We...we need to...fuck," she panted, rolling her hips and moaning again, forgetting what she was protesting.

"Well, yeah, maybe we do," he said with a laugh, taking her broken and sputtered words at face value, though he knew it certainly wasn't what she meant. He couldn't resit teasing her. "But I don't...damn, baby, not on the couch...with Munch and Fin hanging out on the porch."

"That did it," she sighed, pulling her lips away from his and stopping her movements. She smoothed her hair back, clearing her throat, and sat up straight, keeping her legs around his body. "What...that was...wow."

He nodded fast, licking his lips. He reached up and toyed with the pieces of hair that had fallen into her face before cupping her cheeks again. "You have no idea how beautiful you are, do you?"

Biting her lip, she backed up and slid off of him, taking a deep breath and sitting back on the couch. "El..."

"You are," he said, pushing himself up to sit next to her. "Come here," he said softly, wrapping one rough hand around the back of her neck. He pulled and watched her lips curl, and seeing her smile made his heart swell and burst. He smiled back at her, pulling her even closer, and pressed his lips to hers.

She moaned his name, muffled by the kiss, and lightly clutched the hem of his shirt. Being with him felt so right, and any worry about risk or uncertainty faded. She pulled away from him, took a deep breath, and said, "You make it really hard to...I can't control myself with you."

"Liv, you are watching every ounce of restraint I have, hard at work," he chuckled. "If we weren't..." A loud knock on the door interrupted what would have been a very suggestive remark. He kissed her quickly, got off of the couch, and ran to the front door. He looked through the peep-hole and his shoulders slumped. He turned the knob and opened the door, saying a low, "What's up, Fin?"

Fin handed him a paper bag and an envelope. "Food and a letter from Novak." He tried to peek around the door to see Olivia, but Elliot wouldn't move. "She okay?"

"She's great," Elliot said, smiling, "We both are." He nodded and said, "Thanks. You guys...you all right out here?"

Fin shrugged. "Dealing with his conspiracy babble is getting kinda old, but we're good. Making sure no one gets anywhere near you two." He coughed once and said, "If you need anything, you just give one of us a call. We're across the street in the Buick." He waved, turned, and headed back to the car parked across the road.

Once he was sure Fin had gotten in the car, Elliot turned to head back into the house. He brought the bag over to the couch and set it down on the coffee table, smiling at the familiarity of the simple action. He sat beside Olivia and shook the envelope at her. "Open it," he said, and then he folded his hand and wrung his fingers together. "I can't."

With a furrowed brow, Olivia turned the envelope over in her hands, and then tore the end off and pulled the letter out. She looked him, silently asking for permission. She watched him nod and then unfolded the paper. She scanned it, took a deep breath, closed it, and threw it on the coffee table next to the bag of takeout. "Casey sends her love," she said with a clenched jaw. "Literally. If I make it through this alive, I'm going to kill her."

"What does it say?" he said, taking her hand and calming her down. "Aside from whatever just got under your skin."

She yanked open the paper bag and fished around for an egg roll. "She said your lawyer handed the documents to the judge, and in six weeks, God willing, you will no longer be considered legally married." She looked at him. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry."

He sighed and scooted toward the edge of the sofa. He reached into the bag and took out the cartons of food. "That..." He paused and dropped his head into his hands, the built up guilt and emotion from the day finally bringing him to break. "Hearing it...so final...it just..." he looked up at her, tears in his eyes. "I'm not sorry it's over, I am...relieved, and I'm very much in love with you, but it just..."

"I know," she said, cutting him off, biting into her egg roll. "It's going to be painful, El. She was your wife; you've been married since you were eighteen. She's the mother of your children. I'd think less of you if you weren't upset. I know it doesn't mean you want to go running back to her." She swallowed and looked at him with a small smile. "Because, uh, that kiss...I could tell that you..."

He stopped her words with a swift peck on the lips. "I love you," he said, smiling.

She took a breath, opened her mouth, but the gunshots echoing through the room from the street outside kept her from saying anything at all.

 ** _Peace and Love_**

 ** _Jo_**

 ** _MarchCommaJo on Twitter_**


	7. Chapter 7

**_Law and Order: SVU is the intellectual property of Dick Wolf. The use of the characters, settings, and plotlines is not malicious. This is a work of fiction._**

Elliot jumped, hearing the shots, and he held up a hand to Olivia, sending her a warning glare. "Stay here," he told her, backing away and heading toward the door.

"Bullshit," she spat, running in his direction. Her hand landed on the knob first, and they fought for a brief moment, Elliot trying to shove her back out of the way of potential danger and Olivia doing the same to him. Finally, she gave him a hard nudge with her hip and opened the door, but was stopped from running off of the porch, by Elliot's strong arms.

"Don't," he commanded, holding her as they stood together, frozen on the stoop as they watched the commotion.

Munch was on the sidewalk, kneeling over a wounded uniformed officer, trying to help him up. The sirens in the distance were getting louder; an ambulance came rounding the corner and pulled up in front of the house, followed by two black and white police cars. Several cops, along with Captain Cragen, filed into the street, and seeing it, Elliot pulled Olivia tighter against him. Letting his eyes close for a moment, he kissed her temple, and then stared out at the scene as an EMT ran to the bleeding officer Munch was guiding.

"Benson! Stabler! You're out of here, now!" Cragen yelled, running up the steps. He grabbed Elliot's free arm and pulled him, who in turn pulled Olivia, down the steps toward a waiting car. "Get in," he spat, more domineering than ever.

Elliot, too surprised and scared to argue, helped Olivia into the backseat and then slid in beside her. Cragen was about to slam the door on him, but he pushed against it. "Wait, wait, damn it, just...tell us what's going on, would ya?" he barked, swallowing hard.

Cragen, his hand still on the door, shook his head. He began to babble, speaking fast and looking intently at Elliot. "He found you. I don't know how, but he found you. He was heading up the steps when Crighton stopped him. He turned, shot Crighton, Fin took off down the block after him, Munch called it in...you two need to get out of here."

Elliot's eyes widened. "Cap, my kids..."

"Are perfectly safe," Cragen assured him, "So is your wife. It's you two in danger, not them."

Olivia squeezed Elliot's hand, and then shot Cragen a nervous look. "Where are we going?"

"You'll find out when you get there," Cragen told her. "The only people who know are me and your escort, here," he said, nodding to the man behind the wheel. "Stay together, don't worry about your stuff, I'll bring it up to you later." He slammed the door, tapped on the hood of the car, and ran back toward Munch and the EMT.

Elliot narrowed his eyes a bit as he leaned forward to address the driver. "This must be making your fucking day, huh?"

Ed Tucker looked into his rear-view mirror and with a somber expression, he shook his head. "Of course not," he spat. "Would I be driving my ass upstate if I wanted this lunatic to get you? You really think I want to see anything happen to you? I want to kill you sometimes, but not...not literally."

Olivia took a deep breath, her eyes closing, and she let it out slowly through pursed lips. "Thanks, Ed," she said, sincerely.

Tucker nodded and cleared his throat. "So, uh, I can't really divulge anything, other than...we...we have a motive." He turned the wheel to get onto the expressway. "It's, surprisingly, not your fault. You were doing your jobs, a little too well. Just...just trust me, and this time, uh...we might..."

"Come on, just fucking spit it out. What the hell kind of trouble are we in, here?" Elliot huffed and slumped in the seat, desperate to pull Olivia closer to him, but knowing it would be a bad idea with Tucker staring at him in the mirror.

Tucker sighed and stepped on the gas, changing lanes and speeding up. "It might be bigger than just a paid hit by Koehler. Look, I can't give you details, I can't tell you anything right now. Keep your cell phones on, you've got your guns and your badges, you're alive. Fuck, that's pretty much all that's important right now."

Elliot raised an eyebrow and his head lolled to one side. He eyed Olivia and then looked back at Tucker, suspiciously.

"Yeah," Tucker sighed. "I know, you heard it, I said it. I actually do give a couple of fucks about the two of you." He bit his lip, contemplating saying something else, but he decided against it. "Just...relax, okay? We'll get this guy and get your lives back to normal, as soon as we can."

"That's not exactly comforting," Olivia mumbled, folding her arms. She scooted closer to Elliot, needing the security of being close to him and the affirmation that he was really there. She yawned, then, and let her head fall to his shoulder, knowing Tucker wouldn't hold it against her under the circumstances. She felt Elliot stiffen, but then she felt his body shift and his lips press to the crown of her head. That's when she raised up to look at him.

"He's not even looking," he whispered to her, knowing what she was thinking. He sighed as he kissed the top of her head again, and then turned his attention toward the landscape blurring by his window. Watching the swirling greens and yellows, silvers and reds, mixed with the streaks of light that whizzed by made his eyes weary and soon, his head was dropped against Olivia's and both of them were fast asleep.

An hour and a half later, Tucker pulled the car into the driveway of an elite-looking home in a quiet cul-de-sac. He heaved another heavy sigh as he turned off the car and got out, unwilling to wake up the sleeping duo in the back. He banged on the door, chuckling when they shot up and leaped to opposite sides of the car. He gestured to them to come out, and walked toward the door of the stately home.

Olivia was the first out, and as she closed her car door, she looked around and smiled sadly at the house. In a slew of other situations, this would be a thrilling moment. This, under some other condition, would be her dream house. The bright white aluminium siding was glaring evidence that the air quality and traffic patterns here were much different than in the city; no greasy buildup or exhaust stains to be found. The perfectly trimmed lawn was emerald green, with beautiful blooms in several shades of red in scattered patches along the walkway. She smiled at the roses, wondering if she would ever have a lawn like this to call her own. She took a deep breath, marveling at the clear crispness of the air, and she looked over her shoulder at Elliot. Her smile grew brighter, and part of her, though she hated to admit it, was happy he was going to be here with her. It felt almost perfect to be heading into a house like this with him by her side. Almost.

Tucker unlocked the door and turned with a cough, handing the keys to Elliot. "Don't answer the door," he said, "For anyone. Cragen and I will always call before we show up, so you know if someone's knocking, it's not us, that means you don't know them, and that's..."

"Ed," Elliot interrupted, "What the hell is going on? You're scared shitless, which is scaring the fuck out of us, and you don't seem like the kind of guy who..."

Tucker held up a hand. "I am scared, for you, for your team," he said. "We need to get this asshole, tonight, or...or this won't be the only time we have to move you, and the next time might not be so...easy."

Olivia saw the look in his eyes, the way his lip twitched and the way his nostrils flared. "Oh, God," she breathed, realizing what words were scrawled along the walls between the lines. "You're not saying what I think you're saying."

"I'm not saying anything," Tucker sneered a little too quickly. "Not outright. Not yet. If I have to, then I will...tell you when it's time." He held out a hand. "I'm hoping it doesn't have to come to that," he said, looking at Elliot.

Elliot shook Tucker's hand, and then led Olivia into the house, closing the door behind him. He locked it and exhaled harshly, rubbing his eyes. He was exhausted, stumbling over the rug as he made his way to the couch. He squeezed the bridge of his nose and shook his head fast, only looking up when he felt the sofa shift. He turned his head and saw Olivia, just as shaken up and just as tired. He stretched an arm over her shoulders and pulled her into him, his left hand running up and down her upper arm. "This is one hell of a first date," he said, attempting a joke.

She chuckled but it was only halfheartedly. She looked at him and with her bottom lip pinched between her teeth, she whispered, "Date?"

He smiled at her. "Why not?" he shrugged. "We don't have anything better to do, we're all alone, and, uh," he raised his brows and sighed once again. "I think...Liv, I was...I was kidding. Sort of."

"Hey," she said, giving him a jab with her elbow, "I was teasing you. I'm just...this has been a helluva day, and I think...I would really just like to go to sleep." She leaned into him and kissed the corner of his mouth. "We can decide if we're dating in the morning."

He laughed. "You make it sound like we're in high school," he said, rolling his eyes. "But, uh, I'm pretty sure we're..." he stopped, looked at her, and saw the way her eyes began to glisten. "Don't...baby, don't...come here." He pulled her into his arms and felt her body start to shake against his. His heart broke. The one thing he hated most in the entire world was seeing her cry, and he'd long-ago had his fill of watching it happen. He kissed her forehead three quick times and rubbed soft, slow circles on her back. "Breathe, baby. I'm here, you're here, we're okay."

She nodded. "You know what Tucker meant, right?" she sobbed. "El, if they can't find this guy, they're gonna put us in..."

"Shh," he consoled, wrapping her tighter in his arms, "I know. I know, and...with the exception of missing my kids like hell, I'd...I'd be okay with it. As long as you were with me, I could deal with it."

She sniffled and her hands found their way around his neck. She shook her head as she clutched at his nape. "I can't...El, what the hell would I do? The only thing I..." she breathed fast and wiped her eyes on his chest. "I'm a cop. A fucking cop! I can't even pretend to be anything else. If we have to...I can't give that up, I can't."

"No one will make you," he said, moving his hands from her back to her face. He held her in his hands and pressed his nose to hers, rubbing gently. Kissing her lips, he said, "I'm not gonna let that happen, okay? No matter what, you and me, this is who we are, and I'm sure...they're gonna get him. They're already close to nailing the son-of-a-bitch." He kissed her again and wiped away her tears. "But...honey, if it comes down to it...and we don't have a choice..."

"No," she said firmly. "Pretending to be your wife, fine, we've done it a million times, and Lord knows now it would be...easier," she let out a small laugh with her last word. "But I am not giving up my entire life, I am not going to play doctor, or be some kindergarten teacher, and we both fucking know this is the only thing you can do, too! Your heart is in this as much as mine, and your attitude isn't exactly office-appropriate. Oh, and fuck, I am not letting this asshole rip you away from your kids!"

He shook his head and kissed her again. "Baby, stop."

"No, damn it!" she yelled, pushing away from him. She got to her feet and she looked down at him with narrow eyes. "Don't you get it? For years...fuck, the first time Kathy tried to leave your ass, she came to me...flat out asked me to convince you to sign the divorce papers. She said...she said that I had to be with you, because I was the one that gave you stability! It was like she was offering you to me on a silver fucking platter, but ya know what? I couldn't do it! I thought you'd be fucking miserable if she left you!" She ran her hands through her hair and started pacing back and forth, her shoes dragging through the lush green carpeting. "I did what I had to do, and I talked her out of it, because I needed you to be happy! I needed you to be okay!"

Completely befuddled, he watched her, listened to every word, and he fell in love with her all over again. "Liv, calm down, would you just sit by..."

She cut him off again, this time with a bitter and self-deprecating laugh. "Even then, I knew how in love with you I was, and I couldn't...I couldn't be that selfish. I couldn't let her destroy you, even though it would mean my chance to..." she shook the thought away. "So I did what I always do...I fixed things, for you." She folded her arms, running her hands up and down her bare skin, suddenly cold. "Don't you fucking get it? I will always make you..." she paused, turned around, and looked at him with tear-stained cheeks and raw, red eyes. "I've leaped in front of guns, knocked your ass to the ground to get you out of the way...and I've made more personal sacrifices than I will ever admit...and it killed me, Elliot! It broke my heart, seeing you with her, knowing it could've been me, but it didn't matter. So, yeah, I was fucking miserable, but as long as you were happy...I was...I was okay." She licked her lips and dropped her arms. "I decided a long time ago that I would kill for you. Even if the person who ends up dead is me. I've always been prepared to die for you."

He stood up and walked over to her, slowly slipping his hands around her waist. He worked them under her shirt and let his palms rest on the surprisingly hot skin of her back. He looked into her eyes, felt his heart pound against his chest five hard times, and then he kissed her. He ran his tongue over her bottom lip, and as soon as she opened her mouth for him he invaded, taking over, trying to tell her he felt the same exact way. He pressed himself into her, moaning softly, deepening the kiss. He let his hands dance up and down her back, soothing and comforting in the most intimate way he could at the moment. "Baby," he breathed, pulling away from her, "You have to know...I've done the same things, for the same damn reason. I would lay down my life for you, in a heartbeat." He kissed her quickly, once more, and he said, "But neither of us are dying, baby. Not tonight, not anytime soon."

She nodded, taking a deep breath, and she looked up at him now that her tears had dried up. "I'm sorry, I...I didn't want to..."

"It's been a long fucking day and an even worse night," he said, stopping her. He kissed her again and pulled her by the hand, turning to look down the hallway. "I think this is the bedroom," he said, leading her toward an open door. He stuck a hand through, reaching blindly, and flipped the light-switch, then peeked in cautiously. "Okay," he sighed, relieved. He pulled her with him, into the room, and with his free hand he yanked down the comforter and sheets. He looked over his shoulder and watched as she kicked off her shoes and tugged off her socks. He moved aside and did the same, still watching her. A smile spread across his face as he took in her effortless beauty, using the moment to thank God that He saw fit to finally give her to him completely. With a yawn, he moved toward her and kissed her again, and then made sure she got into the bed first. Then, he turned off the light, crawled over her with a laugh, and slipped into the space beside her. He pulled the sheets over them and wrapped her up in his arms.

She turned, slanting her lips over his, surprising him. Smiling against his lips, she moaned as he pulled her closer. She broke away and nuzzled herself into his chest, curling her entire body around his. "Night, El."

"Goodnight, baby," he whispered, and he wound his legs around hers, tangling them together. He exhaled and let his eyes close, and as much as he hated the circumstances, as terrified and worried as he truly, deeply was, there was one resolute feeling he couldn't deny. He was home.

 ** _Peace and Love_**

 ** _Jo_**

 ** _MarchCommaJo on Twitter_**


	8. Chapter 8

**_Law and Order: SVU is the intellectual property of Dick Wolf. The use of the characters, settings, and plotlines is not malicious. This is a work of fiction._**

There was something different about the noise filtering into room. No sirens, no gunshots, no yelling. His waking ears were greeted with chirping birds and rustling leaves. He smiled and took a deep breath; instead of the smell of leather and dust, a fresh, fragrant scent filled his lungs. His smile widened. It was her. He squeezed, feeling her still wrapped in his arms, and he shifted only slightly more onto his side. He puckered up and kissed whatever part of her his lips were closest to, and he sighed contently as he snuggled closer to her.

He could wake up like this every day, and it only just struck him now how badly he wanted to do just that. He kissed her forehead again, and as he let out another deep sigh, he heard her voice.

"Perfect morning," she mumbled groggily. She turned her head up, opened one eye, and smiled. "Isn't it?"

"Oh, hell yes," he chuckled, his eyes still closed. "We don't have to get out of this bed. We can go right back to..."

Her lips stopped his words. The kiss was short, sudden, quick but meaningful. She backed away and watched carefully, ready for his reaction, hoping it wasn't a horrified one. She held her breath, waiting.

Both of his eyes opened as soon as she pulled away from him, he was shocked, but happy, and he licked his lips. "No, now it's the perfect morning." He ran his hands up and down her body in random patterns, staring into her eyes. He was quiet, trying to gauge the possibility of her hitting him if he kissed her again. "What...what was that..."

"I really wanted to kiss you," she said, a sheepish smile on her face. Her fingers were at the bend of his back hovering just above his perfect ass, toying with the waistband of his flannel pants. "There's...a lot I want to..." she paused, stopping herself from verbalizing the rest of that thought. She looked up at him again, into his eyes, and behind the love and joy that were now so clear, so evident, there was a sadness she couldn't ignore. "I'm sorry, I know...it's not the right time. Maybe we shouldn't even...I just, waking up in your arms like that, despite the fucked up situation we're in, it felt..."

"Right," he finished for her. "I know, it's perfect. So right, and so fucking perfect," he repeated. "I love that you feel it, too. That you're not trying to run from this," He squinted. "Well, not like you can, right now, but you know..."

"I know what you meant," she laughed. "And I know...I know how hard this is for you. You're going through a divorce, you miss the kids as it is, and now we're stuck out here, so you can't even really explain to them what's..."

"They know," he sighed. He rubbed his eyes and then dropped his hand back where it was, on her hip. His thumb traced tiny circles in her skin and he smiled at the look on her face. "They understand. It's hard...I thought...God, when I woke up yesterday, I grabbed those papers, and I thought my life was going to change." He gave her a sad laugh and said, "This wasn't exactly what I had in mind."

She sighed and tried to sit up, but he held her tighter. She laughed, but sunk into him, submitting to him yet again. He was, and always would be, her weakness and it was now, more than ever, that she felt it shoot to her core. "What's the matter? Be honest with me."

"I'm always honest with you," he said, kissing her between the eyes. "I'm...not scared...but I'm..." he gave up and shook his head. "Five more minutes with you like this, then I'll get up and make us breakfast." He pressed her head into the crook of his neck and closed his eyes again, raveling in the comfort coursing through him. It was as if he could feel every part of her pressed against every part of him, fitting together like puzzle pieces, two halves of one whole.

Her leg curled around both of his, as if she was locking them together. If she was being honest, that's exactly what she was doing. "Fine with me," she said with a low lilt in her voice. She was almost asleep, her head buried in him, when a shrill cell phone ringtone hit her ears. "Not...happening..." she whined, refusing to let go of him.

Laughing, he said, "You don't have to move." He reached out one arm, his fingers straining to grab his phone off of the end-table. "Stabler," he spat, rolling his eyes as he answered. "Oh, uh, no...no, we...we're awake." He slapped her in the arm lightly but quickly, springing her into action. "How long?" He looked at Olivia, wide-eyed, and held up his hand, telling her they had five minutes until Tucker showed up.

She ran around, searching for clothes, but then remembered they didn't have any. "El," she hissed, "Ask him if..."

"You are? Great, thanks," he have Olivia a thumbs up. "Yeah, see ya soon." He hung up and got out of the bed, and then walked over to Olivia. He wrapped her in his arms, kissed her softly, and said, "That was cute."

"What?" she bit her lip and played with the hem of his shirt. She knew exactly what he was going to say.

"That momentary panic, how you leaped off of me like we were about to be caught doing something wrong." He wagged his eyebrows, gave her a smirk, and kissed her again.

She licked her lips as he pulled away from her. "We were," she teased, a glimmer in her eyes.

He saw it, and he grinned like a fox, moving closer to her. He was about to give her another kiss when the doorbell rang. He looked at her, and together, they walked toward the door. He looked through the peep hole before opening it. "Hi, Ed," he said, though it didn't sound cordial.

Tucker pushed into the house carrying several duffel bags. He tossed the luggage onto the floor near the couch. "I don't know how much longer you're gonna be here, but I will try to make sure you're comfortable."

Olivia looked at Elliot with one raised brow. "Thanks," she said. If Tucker was being this nice, their situation must have not yet improved. "I'm guessing you haven't found the guy?"

Tucker sighed. "No," he said, "But, um, there has been a...development."

Olivia noticed, then, that Tucker didn't look well. He was pale and nervous-looking. "What happened? Is anyone hurt? Elliot's kids..."

"Are fine," Tucker told them, raising both hands. "Haven just...tried to..."

"What? He tried to hurt my kids?" Elliot almost shouted, his heart climbing into his throat.

"No, no," Tucker attempted to calm him down. "No one went near your kids, Stabler." He took a breath and exhaled slowly, and then looked at Olivia. "He broke into your apartment. He ransacked the place. He left...he left a message." With a slightly shaky hand, he pulled a folded piece of paper out of paper. He glanced at Olivia, but handed it over to Elliot.

"Shit," he hissed, closing his eyes and tossing his head in defeat. He thrust the note at Olivia.

She looked down, her eyes narrowing before they widened. She stared at the folded photocopied picture, the house they were in up until last night. In bright red marker, two words were scrawled over the face of the house.

"Welcome home."

 ** _Peace and Love_**

 ** _Jo_**

 ** _MarchCommaJo on Twitter_**


	9. Chapter 9

**_Law and Order: SVU is the intellectual property of Dick Wolf. The use of the characters, settings, and plotlines is not malicious. This is a work of fiction._**

"When we get out of this mess, you can stay with me," Elliot whispered to her, his hand drawing small circles on her back. As soon as Tucker left, he pulled her onto the couch and into his arms. "You know you can."

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Yeah, Kathy's lawyer would just love that," she said, and then she pushed herself away from him. "Jesus, Elliot, what the hell is happening here?" She rose to her feet and began pacing back and forth, forming a long ditch in the plush beige carpet beneath her bare feet. "You're single for, what, five seconds, and I'm already leaping into bed with you."

"I did the leaping," he countered, smirking. "And we didn't..."

"Yeah, but if Tucker didn't call..." she paused. "Technically, you're still married, Kathy and the kids are probably worried out of their minds! Do you really think she's just carrying on with her life, following through with all this legal shit, knowing your life is at risk? What if this whole fucking thing just makes her more determined not to?"

He licked his lips and bent forward, his elbows resting on his knees, as he peered up at her and asked, "You just found out your apartment has been trashed, is now an active crime scene, and all that concerns you is whether or not my ex..."

"Shit, yes!" she snapped, cutting him off. "Don't you listen when I talk? I told you last night, you are my priority. You and those kids of yours."

"I listen to every word you say," his voice had a soft dominance, his eyes were narrow. "And you know damn well...what's happening here isn't new. It's been brewing for years, we both admitted that last..."

"Last night, after we dealt with almost being killed for the third time in less than twenty-four hours," she said, her eyes closing. "I just...need to be sure that you're not doing this just because you're afraid..."

"Hell, yes I am," he hissed, shooting off of the couch and stepping over to her. His hands flew to her face, he held her head still and he drew closer to her. His nose brushed against hers as he spoke. "I was fucking terrified, scared out of my mind, of living the rest of my life without knowing what it means to really love you. Feel you. All of you. Kiss you, touch you, hear you tell me how much you love me...I was going to take this chance with you, no matter what." He kissed her lips, sighing, and he said, "I'm not doing this to have one last thrill before this mother-fucker blows me to bits, I'm doing this because I realized I couldn't live another moment without you."

She felt her nose prickle with a burn she didn't have the strength to fight, and her vision blurred with hot tears. She blinked, letting them spill out and roll down her cheeks. She shook her head and pressed her lips together, feeling his thumbs wipe away the fallen droplets. "I couldn't either," she barely whispered. "But I can't do this with you if it's just going to fall apart when we get out of this mess." She let out a short breath. "If."

He smiled at her. "You know it's gonna take a lot more than one psychotic asshole to bring us down," he told her, kissing her sweetly. "In a way...this Haven guy did us a favor. He gave us the time we needed to sort this out, he got us alone, far away from anyone who could try to top this, or talk us out of it. Including each other." He kissed her again, making last a bit longer. "If we didn't get thrown into solitary confinement, here, you would have fought this like hell, tried to tell me to go home to my wife." He pulled her closer, kissed her once more, the slight scruff of his chin grazing her smooth skin as he pulled back. "She hasn't been my home in years."

She sniffled, stopping her tears, her breathing now slow and calm. She let him pull her back toward the couch and she fell when he did, almost into his lap, and she curled her body against his.

"The son-of-a-bitch was right," he whispered, kissing her forehead. "Welcome home, baby. He didn't know it, but...doing what he did...he sent us both home." He looked into her eyes, part of him shattering as he saw raw, redness in them. "To each other. Where...where we belong."

She blinked, and the grimace that had been on her face for the last ten minutes faded into a soft, submissive smile. She'd given in, she let him win, but she knew that she didn't exactly lose. "Where did Tucker say Haven was?"

"Looking in all the wrong places," he told her, settling down further on the sofa. He rested his head on the arm of the couch, and he pulled her on top of him, fitting her curves into all of the most perfect spots. He moaned when she shifted, rubbing against him. "You were wrong, before," he whispered to her, playing with her hair as it fanned out over the right side of his chest.

"About what?" she asked, her fingertips tracing the outlines of his muscles under his tee-shirt. Her eyes were fixed on them, mesmerized by the way they twitched under her touch. It made her wonder what other parts of his body would do the same thing.

With another moan, his eyes drifted closed. She was playing with fire, and he knew that she was well aware of it. "Even if Tucker didn't ruin the moment this morning...I wouldn't have...I mean, I want to, fucking badly, but I know...we owe it to ourselves to do this right. I know what I want, I know what...you want. I know what we both need, and I promise you, I'm giving..." He was silenced by her lips on his, a stunned gasp passed from his open mouth to hers, and his other hand met the one already winding in her hair.

This kiss was different, filled with love and lust and a power that far exceeded anything either had ever felt. It held a promise, a vow, sacred and unbreakable, one they felt their souls actually create and weave.

Her knee moved up his body, her pelvis rocked against his, she moaned softly, feeling his hardness press against her. She bucked into him again, whimpering, and her kiss grew hungry, desperate. She nipped at his lips, hearing and feeling his soft grunts and growls mixing with her light moans and cries of his name. She settled against him, moaning as his hands traveled down her body and gripped her ass.

He pressed her against him as he thrust his hips upward, deliberately and with incredible intent. God, he wanted to feel more of her, and for a brief moment, he very seriously contemplated ripping her clothes off, but his words from only a minute ago echoed in the back of his mind, and he wasn't the kind of man to go back on his word, especially when it came to Olivia. "Baby," he breathed, "Fuck, honey, you're driving me crazy."

She chuckled and pulled her head back, gave him a wanton expression, and bent her head again, resuming their kiss. This time, though, it was slow, languid, an even temperament filtering through it and into them. Calming, they relaxed their hold on each other and grunts became light breaths. It lasted a few more blissful moments, but she pulled away, breathless.

He blinked, his world coming back into focus, and he smiled as he saw her face. His eyes landed on her lips, swollen and red, chapped with the marks from his teeth, his kiss. He brought his left hand up to her face and swiped the pad of his thumb over those beautifully perfect lips. He was amazed, astounded not only by her beauty, but by the fact that he was here, with her, experiencing her kiss. He was the one who caused the light in her eyes, the one who made her pulse race. He could feel through their thin layers of clothes just how strongly he affected her, how hot and wet she was, because of him. He took one, single, long, deep breath, and his smile grew. "I love you."

She froze. It didn't scare her, as it would have if it had come from someone else's lips It simply shocked her, there was a part of her that couldn't believe he was saying it to her, that he'd just kissed her to within an inch of her life, that she could feel how much he wanted her,both physically and through the intensely palpable emotions radiating from him. She knew he meant every word. With a shallow, shaky breath, she smiled. "I love you," she spoke. It came out in the slightest whisper, as if her voice was terrified to actually make those words audible.

He raked his fingers through her hair, laughing softly as he pulled her down and kissed her. "You have no idea...what that means to me."a frustrated and impatient grumble rumbling in his throat.

She bit her lip and nodded, saying, "I think I do." She kissed him, quick and soft, and then rested her head against his. "This is crazy," she laughed.

He chuckled, nuzzling her. "It's the most sane thing we've ever done," he countered. He kissed her once again, keeping it slow, soft. They were so lost in each other that neither of them heard the knock on the door.

When the doorbell rang, though, they broke apart fast and their heads snapped toward the front of the room. "Did your phone ring?" she whispered fast, her eyes wide.

He shook his head. "Yours?" he spat back quietly. When he watched her return his negative answer, he pushed her up, sat back on the couch, and slowly reached over to the end table for his gun.

Whoever was on the other side of the door, they were certainly not coming through it.

 ** _Peace and Love_**

 ** _Jo_**

 ** _MarchCommaJo on Twitter_**


	10. Chapter 10

**_Law and Order: SVU is the intellectual property of Dick Wolf. The use of the characters, settings, and plotlines is not malicious. This is a work of fiction._**

Elliot looked through the small peephole, turned to Olivia, and backed away from the door. "Neighbors, I think," he whispered with a shrug. "They brought pie."

Olivia laughed. "Are you serious? Where the hell are we, Pleasantville?"

The doorbell rang and there was another knock on the door. "Clearly, they're not home, Margaret," they heard a man's voice declare, before the doorbell rang again.

Elliot raised a finger to his lips, gestured for Olivia to get up off of the couch, and jutted his chin toward the bedroom.

Olivia rolled her eyes and got up, moving quickly in front of Elliot. She scoffed over her shoulder as she felt Elliot nudge her, prodding her to move faster. "Why would they..."

"They probably saw us...maybe they think we moved in," he spat in a harsher whisper. He gave her a shove, forcing her onto the bed, and he moved toward the window. He pulled the blinds apart with two fingers and stared out toward the porch, biting his lip. "Or maybe they're trying to kill us. We can't take chances."

"I know," Olivia said to him with a sigh. She reached over to the table, picking up her cell phone, running her fingers along the screen for a moment before sliding one to unlock it. She tapped in her password and took another deep breath.

"Your password is my badge number?" he asked her, his brow furrowed. When she turned her head toward him, he caught her eyes and his heart thumped a bit harder in his chest. God, she was beautiful.

"Yeah," she said on a breath. There was no point denying it. She smirked then, and pointed back to the side table. "What would happen if I grabbed your phone and typed in mine?"

He laughed and shook his head, scratching at his chin. "Point well made." He smiled brightly at her and reached out a hand to brush the hair out of her eyes. He was silent as he let his hand linger, and then his knuckles grazed her cheek before falling away from her altogether. "They...they left," he mumbled, pointing his thumb over his shoulder at the window.

She nodded, giving him an unsure smile, and as he sat beside her, she looked back down at her phone and swiped through her contacts. "Here," she said, tapping a name. "Talk to your kids." She held the phone out to him, the ringing filtering from the speaker.

He took the phone and lifted it to his ear as he bent lower and kissed her forehead. A silent thanks. "Kathy? No, no, it's...Liv is fine, I just don't have my phone handy, I...no, it's charging. Listen, I need to tell you...oh, he did? Good, I...I didn't want you to worry. Are the kids...can I talk to...oh, yeah, I did. Because...I told you I was going to sign them."

Olivia watched, seeing his body stiffen and his nostrils flare. She knew something harsh had been said on the other end.

He clenched his jaw and pulled himself away from Olivia. "Oh, I'm sorry, okay? Forgive me for filing for divorce and skipping town! Next time, I'll schedule to have my life threatened at a more convenient time for you!" he half-yelled. He closed his eyes, then, and took another deep breath, letting it out slowly. "Yeah, me, too. No, they can't call me back. Not while I'm...no, we're okay. Tell them I love them and I will call as soon as...as soon as I can. Bye." He hung up the phone in time to prevent Kathy from hearing him sniffle. "That was...not what was supposed to happen." He brought his free hand up to his face, squeezed the bridge of his nose, and tried not to cry.

Olivia shot up off of the bed and in an instant her arms were around him. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I didn't mean..."

"Don't," he interrupted, his hands finding solace at the small of her back, her phone still clutched in one. He pulled her tight and buried his head into her neck, kissing the thin skin as he tried to calm himself down. "I'm okay. I just...I didn't realize how much I miss them."

"Well, this will all be over soon," she said, pushing him away slightly, "And you can go home to Kathy and the..."

"I wasn't even talking about Kathy," he said, cutting her off. "My kids. I miss my kids. It's only been a couple days and I'm just..." He took another breath, letting it out through rounded lips. "I'm okay."

She nodded and tried to smile, but when he pulled her into his arms again and pressed his lips to hers, she let the grin fully form against his lips. Her fingers curled as they found their way to his shoulders, and then around his neck. Part of her still couldn't believe that she was kissing him, but a much larger part of her didn't believe she belonged anywhere else.

He moaned and pulled her tighter against him, dropping her phone as his fingers seared their prints into the bare skin of her back, under her shirt. He was about to move them back toward the bed when the doorbell rang once again.

"God damn it," he spat, after prying his lips away from hers. He moved to the window again, pulling the blinds apart and looking through narrow eyes, the way he had before.

"Is it them again?" she asked, moving closer to him.

"No," he said, whispering. "Pick up your phone, keep your voice down, and call Cragen, we have a problem." He watched the people who'd been at the door pick the lock, making their way inside. He backed away from the window, pulling her into him and leading them toward the large closet. He opened the door as he watched her tapping buttons on her phone. He ushered her into the empty space, pulled her down to the floor with him, and pulled his gun out of his pocket.

"What the hell did you see out there?" she whispered to him, "And what do you want me to say to..."

He ripped the phone out of her hand and replaced it with his gun. "Cap? Yeah, listen, we have a slight problem here."

They both jumped slightly when they heard breaking glass in the living room, and they froze. Elliot wound his arms tighter around Olivia, whispering as quietly as he could into the phone. "Your protective detail isn't doing a very good job. Two guys, armed, I think...I think they're in the house now."

"Why the fuck are we in the closet?" Olivia hissed, pulling her own gun out of the pocket of her flannel pants.

He wrapped a hand around her mouth, listening to Cragen, and he nodded at her as he removed his hand and lightly ran the pad of his thumb over her lips. He put the phone on speaker and put it down on the floor next to him. He took his gun from Olivia and raised one finger.

She eyed him carefully, watching as he raised a second finger. She readied her gun and steadied herself on the tips of her toes.

He reached up for the handle of the door, and when he mouthed, "Three," he opened the door.

The pair sprang out of the closet with aimed weapons, trained on the bedroom door. They heard shuffling feet, moving furniture, and muffled voices coming from the living room.

He moved in front of Olivia, reaching for the knob, and he looked at her with severity in his eyes.

She stepped up next to him, took a breath, and nodded.

Elliot opened the door and they stepped into the room. "NYPD," Elliot shouted, raising his gun. One of the men turned, his gun rising, and Elliot heard a gunshot. With wide eyes he watched the man in front of him fall to his knees and then keel over.

Olivia moved fast, shooting the second man in the shoulder and then the leg, disarming and disabling him. She ran to the first man and gave Elliot a stunned look.

Elliot bounded over to the second man, kicking his gun away. He looked around for a moment, and then, in lieu of handcuffs, he tugged the drawstring from his sweatpants out of the waistband, using it to tie the intruder's hands together, tightly, around his back. "Liv?" he called to her.

She licked her lips and combed her hair back with her fingers. "He'll live," she said, staring down at the bleeding, whimpering man.

It took five minutes for an ambulance and two police cruisers to arrive. Cragen and Tucker showed up in another ten. Leaving the sedan doors open and the engine running, they ran over to the nearest officer, who pointed them in the right direction. Tucker raised an eyebrow and chuckled at Cragen's befuddled expression as they saw Elliot and Olivia huddled together under a blanket, sitting on the edge of the back of an ambulance.

"Are you two hurt?" Cragen asked. "Either of you? Are you okay?"

"We're fine," Elliot said, holding up a hand. "Liv...shit, she's got excellent aim." He looked at her, and though he wanted like hell to kiss her, he knew he couldn't.

Tucker folded his arms. "So if you're okay, then what's with the..." he wagged a finger in a circle, indicating the ambulance.

Elliot looked back at Tucker. "We had to get out of the house. The crime scene unit is in there." He sighed and pulled the blanket more firmly around himself and Olivia.

Cragen pressed his lips together, refusing to believe it was anything more than a need for warmth and comfort. "Who the hell were those guys?"

"We, uh, we didn't get a straight answer from either of them," Olivia said. "We told the local PD you were on the way, that you'd handle the questioning. They're waiting for you at the hospital."

"I'm surprised they both lived," Tucker said, smirking. "Usually if someone raises a gun to him, you shoot to kill." He looked at Elliot. "And vice versa."

"Yeah, well, I didn't have a clear shot at his head." She bit her lip. "I just...shot the gun out of his hand."

"No, you practically shot his hand off," Elliot countered.

She rolled her eyes. "Oh, I did not," she argued. "The EMT said they'd be able to reattach his fingers, he's gonna be just fine."

"Good," Cragen said. "He'll be able to button up his own orange jumpsuit." He pointed to Elliot. "As for you two..."

"Yeah, yeah," Elliot interrupted. "We have to move again." He closed his eyes for a moment, opened them slowly, and looked at his captain. "Thanks, by the way. For telling Kathy."

Cragen's eyes narrowed. "Telling her what?"

"The situation, where we were, that we were okay," Elliot listed. "It meant a lot. I don't want my kids to worry, and they don't need to..."

"Elliot," Cragen said, stopping him, "I didn't say anything to Kathy. Not about this. We have detail on them, they're safe, but I didn't tell her about any of this."

Elliot looked at Tucker, then at Olivia. A moment passed, unspoken words lingered between them, and he turned back to Cragen. "Then who the hell did?"

Tucker nodded and turned around. "I'm on it," he said, waking back to the sedan.

Cragen unfolded his arms and ran a hand down his face. "You two are gonna send me to an early grave." He shook his head and lowered his voice. "Someone is obviously watching every move you two make. I swear, the only people who knew, for sure, where you were are me and Ed, and we haven't spent much time apart since someone tried to make pancakes out of you."

"So what does that mean?" Olivia asked, inching closer still to Elliot. She was almost in his lap, and she felt his arms wrap tighter around her, telling her he didn't mind.

Cragen narrowed his eyes as he spoke. "I need your phones. Maybe they were hacked or bugged." He scratched his stubble-covered chin. "I'll get you burners. Go in, get your shit, and get in the car, now."

"Where are we going this time?" Elliot said, an air of disdain in his voice. He didn't let go of Olivia as they slid off the truck and walked toward the house.

Cragen didn't turn to look at them. "I have no fucking idea."

 ** _Peace and Love_**

 ** _Jo_**

 ** _MarchCommaJo on Twitter_**


	11. Chapter 11

**_Law and Order: SVU is the intellectual property of Dick Wolf. The use of the characters, settings, and plotlines is not malicious. This is a work of fiction._**

"This is ridiculous," Elliot huffed, his arms folded as he stood staring out the window. He'd been rooted to the spot since they'd been dropped off at the newest safe house, biting his lip and mumbling under his breath. "If they'd let us, we'd find the son-of-a-bitch, then we could go the fuck home."

"Or he'd kill us," Olivia said from her place on the sofa, rolling her eyes.

Elliot scoffed. "He'd never live to try," he growled out through a clenched jaw. His nostrils flared and the reality of their dire situation hit him. "No one threatens you and lives to see the next day. Not if I have anything to say about it."

Olivia stared at the back of his head for a moment, and then sighed. "Well, you don't. Not this time."

"Do you know why Tucker wouldn't tell us how Kathy knew..." he stopped, shaking his head. If he didn't know, how the hell could he expect her to? She hadn't left his side in three days. "Fucking hell," he sighed, dragging his hand down his face. He went back to staring out the window, watching cars drive down their silent street, daring one to so much as slow down as it passed the house.

"At least this place has cable." She picked up the remote, turned on the television, and found a channel that seemed interesting. "You want to watch a movie?" She waited, gnawing on the inside of her cheek, but gave up. She sat back and stopped hoping for Elliot to acknowledge the existence of life beyond the corner of the living room.

Elliot didn't answer her, but he turned around with a sour expression on his face. He froze, though, as his eyes landed on her. She had taken a shower, finally, and changed into fresh clothes. He tilted his head, taking in the natural glow of her makeup-free skin, and he licked his lips when his eyes landed on her neck. Her hair was up in a ponytail, elongating her neck, almost begging him to kiss, bite, and suckle the expanse of olive-toned skin. He moved, slowly, and carefully sat beside her so he wouldn't break her focus. He grinned, wrapping an arm around her shoulders, and before she could turn to look at him, his lips were latched to her pulse.

"What the..." her voice broke into a moan. One hand moved to the nape of his neck and scratched lightly, the other still clutching the remote. "You were just bitching about being stuck here, didn't even...oh, my God...know I was in the room."

"I knew," he whispered, sinking his teeth in a bit more. He sucked for a moment, knowing he was leaving his mark on her skin. He puled away, kissed the reddening skin lightly, and licked a long line from her neck to behind her ear. He pulled her earlobe into his mouth, tugged, and then let go, whispering hotly, "I always know when you're around." He chuckled, his hot breath in her ear making her shiver in his arms, "I can feel you." He moved fast, twisting her body toward his and slanting his mouth over hers.

The remote slipped out of her hand as she sunk deeper into him. Her hand flew to the back of his head, she kissed him back eagerly and as fervently, and she moved with him when he flattened her down on the couch and slipped over her. Her hands moved down his body, from his head to his ass, and she palmed and squeezed as she thrust her hips upward into him, making him moan.

He grunted into her mouth, catching her returned groan in his throat. He rocked into her, rubbing against her in all the right places. "Baby," he breathed, "If we don't stop..."

"Don't stop," she interrupted, panting, arching her back and pressing her body into his. She grappled with his tee shirt, fighting the cotton for control. She let out a victorious chuckle when she managed to work her hands under the material and press them into the bare skin of his back. She ran her fingers over the carved contours of his muscles, along the edges of his shoulder blades, and the fear that she'd suppressed for the last few days was finally bubbling to the surface. Desperately, she nipped at his lips and scratched at his back, needing him to know, to feel, to understand.

Taking her not-so-subtle hints, he pulled away from her slightly, just enough to pull her shirt up. He gave a soft grunt when she raised her arms, letting him yank it off of her and toss it to the green carpeting below them. He returned his hands to her body, grazing her sides, the curves of her bra-shielded breasts, and as he looked down, into her emotion-laden eyes, he shook his head.

"El, it's..." but his finger pressed against her lips, silencing her. She watched with a confused, panic-stricken gaze, as he climbed off of her.

He held out his hand, waiting for her to place hers into it. When he felt her fingers drop against his palm, he smiled, and pulled her to her feet. "If this is happening...which...it is...baby, not on the couch. Not...not the first time I..." he stopped, a slight waver in voice betraying his trepidation and desire in taking this leap with her. He kept his eyes on her and led her to the bedroom, dropping the rest of their clothes along the way.

Once they made it into the room, Olivia looked out into the hall, seeing their trail of bread-crumbs, and she chuckled, knowing they wouldn't need to follow them back, because there was no way back from this. They'd come too far. She took a breath and turned her head, bit her lip, and ran her hands down Elliot's chest. She felt him twitch at her touch and when she reached the band of his boxer-briefs, she spoke. "I almost lost you," she whispered, tugging the cotton blend down around his hips.

"We could have lost each other," he countered, swiping his thumbs over her nipples. He took in her form, his eyes pouring over every curve, every scar, every freckle on her body, as if he hadn't already committed them to memory. He moved, then, at a snail's pace, kissing every inch of her. He paid special attention to her neck, her chest, and when he sunk to his knees, he took great care lavishing her inner thighs with sweet suckles as his fingers played at her wet heat. He moaned slipping a finger inside of her. He felt her nails dig into his shoulders, heard the small, mewing gasp. He kissed his way back up her legs and moved until his mouth met his finger.

"Oh, my God, Elliot," she said on whispered breath. Her fingers curled, forcing her nails deeper into his skin.

He licked, two long strokes, and then slowly rose to his feet. "I don't want to know what it feels like to live without you. I can't...I need to know...tell me you..."

"I love you," came flying out of her mouth on a strangled whisper, the words taking her last ounce of resolve with them. A tear rolled down her cheek as she took his hand and tugged, making him follow her onto the bed.

He crept over her, slowly, caressing her body as he moved, and one hand trailed up to her face. He brushed away her tears as he settled, fitting against her like a final puzzle-piece. "I love you," he said shakily, bringing his lips to hers. He kissed her, a deep, sensual dance with her tongue and lips, catching the gasp as he pushed into her for the first time.

Her head flew back into the pillow, her eyes screwed shut, and his name came out of her mouth like a prayer. She felt him dropping soft kisses to her neck and chest, felt him wrapping his hands around her shoulders. She could feel every inch of him sliding out, pushing in, and it was heaven.

"Liv," he moaned, finding her lips again. He moved faster, but deeper, trying like hell to reach places no one ever had, or ever would again. No one except him.

She kissed him back with everything she had, attempting to forget she almost lost him, praying, now, she'd get to keep him, and thanking God that she was given the chance to be with him, to love him. For so long, she worried she'd never know what it was like to have him where he was now, in her, surrounding her, consuming her.

He heard her say his name again and it fueled him, causing him to hit into her harder. "Baby," he grunted, "Fuck, baby, baby." His head dropped against hers, he kissed her and hooked one hand around the back of her right knee, hiking her leg around his waist.

The change in angle made her head spin, she cried his name louder but it was muffled by his kiss. She rose up to meet his every eager thrust, the slapping sounds of their meeting skin filled the space between their moans and gasps, and her nails dug trenches into his back.

He growled, feeling her scratch him, and it pulled something animalistic out of him. He worked himself up higher, on his knees, and grabbed her other leg, bending it, spreading her wider. He felt his body slam against hers, knowing he was bottoming out inside of her with every thrust. He gazed down at her, smiling at the drugged expression on her face and the love in her eyes. He watched her eyes roll and he growled again, working harder to bring her to the edge, because he wasn't going to last.

"El," she said, smoothing her hands up and down his stomach, feeling it clench. "El, baby, don't stop. Oh, God."

"Come on, baby," he coaxed, his hand creeping up her thighs. He spread his fingers over his piston-like cock, watched as he thrust into and out of her a few times, and as he thumbed over her clit, he growled out her name.

"Oh, God, yes!" She clenched around him, her body trembled, and her back arched as she clamped and held him captive.

He let out a sound somewhere between a whimper and a growl as he tried to power through her vice-grip, and as soon as he pushed back into her, he stilled. Her pulsing walls squeezed him, milked him, and he dropped his head back. "Oh, God, Liv." He came hard, into her, for her, because of her.

Vibrations and convulsions coursed through her as she held onto him for dear life.

He collapsed, falling onto her, and used the lay vestiges of strength to roll them over. He let out an almost disbelieving laugh, kissing her forehead. He heard her laughing, felt her shake against him, and he knew, as his eyes drifted shut, that in her arms was where he belonged. She was his home. He ran his fingertips lightly along her sweat-glazed back, and kissed her once.

She tilted her head up and kissed him back, but fell limply against him. She closed her eyes and an easy smile spread across her face. They tangled themselves together, with him still nestled inside of her, and for the first time in days, fell asleep without being afraid of what waking up would bring.

 _ **Reviews are always welcome.**_

 _ **Peace and love.**_

 _ **Jo**_

 _ **MarchCommaJo on Twitter**_


	12. Chapter 12

**_Law and Order: SVU is the intellectual property of Dick Wolf. The use of the characters, settings, and plotlines is not malicious. This is a work of fiction._**

He hadn't intended to watch her sleep. He wasn't purposely doing it. When he awoke in the middle of the night, and was met with her body splayed over his, her head on his chest, and a soft smile on her face, he just couldn't help staring at her. He brushed his fingers through her hair as he watched her eyelids twitch. Whenever he felt her move, he'd moan softly, feeling his dick stir inside of her, reminding him of the night, of the not once, not twice, but three times they roused from sound sleep for another round of intimate dalliance. He watched her face, knowing behind her closed lids, her brown eyes were brighter than ever, a glimmer in them that existed solely because of him. "I love you," he whispered, pressing his lips gently to the crown of her head.

His mind began to wander, taking him back through moments that meant more to him than he'd realized. The night they solved their first case together, the first fight the got into, the first time he'd pushed her out of the way of a flying bullet, and the first time she did the same for him. The memories played like movie clips, details shining glaringly, making him aware that their connection has always been their, an undeniable attraction that was crying out for attention. He chuckled to himself, shaking his head. Some things just can't be ignored.

"What's so funny?" she grumbled, rubbing the side of her face against his bare chest, shaking away her slumber.

"Just thinking," he said, "How many times we've told each other the truth, in the little things like getting each other coffee or playing 'pass the sweatshirt."

She propped her head up, her chin resting on the back of her hand as it stayed flat over his beating heart. "I'd give you a kidney..." she whispered.

He knew she felt his heart stop for the briefest of moments, and then thud upward against her palm. "Not if I gave you mine first." He reached up and smoothed her hair back, looked into her eyes, and said, "Why couldn't we just come out and say it as soon as we figured it out?"

"We knew the risks," she said with a small shrug. She shifted, moving her hips slightly and seething as she felt his cock drag along her sensitive flesh. "But now...we knew we'd be risking so much more if we never said it." She inched up a bit, coming nose-to-nose with him. She brushed hers against his, kissed him sweetly, and rocked her body against his, causing him to moan her name against her lips. She pulled back as she rocked again. "Being stuck here...is giving us the chance to make up for all that lost time."

He moaned again, this time with a sly grin on his face, and he nodded, bucking up and pushing himself deeper into her. "All the time in the world, now," he whispered. He wrapped his hands around the back of her neck and pulled her down, lower, to him. He kissed her twice and then said, "I was so afraid...you'd regret this." He kissed her as he moved again. "Us."

She shook her head, her hair falling in waves into his eyes and brushing against his face. "Just promise me," she paused to moan, her head flying back, "This is more than..."

He pushed the back of her head down, kissed her hard to silence her, and as his hips began to thrust up faster, he said, "I already told you what this is. You and me. It's everything." He crashed his lips into hers and used his powerful thighs to flip them over.

She was too tired to fight, too eager to let him win, and far too in love with him to protest against the turning of tables. Her nails skated over his shoulder blades, her legs slid up to his waist and wrapped around it, and they squeezed, pulling him in tighter, deeper.

He knew the physical and psychological exhaustion would keep their tryst from lasting much longer, his overworked body and spent emotions would give out any minute. "Baby," he whispered, staring down at her, "God."

"Elliot," she whispered through barely parted lips. She felt her calves tighten and a burning begin in the soles of her feet. The heat rose fast, coursing through her like electric shocks, and she dug her nails into whatever bits of him they were hovering over.

"Ah, fuck, Liv," he growled, hearing and feeling the tiny snaps of breaking skin. His stomach muscles clenched and he heard her whimper beneath him.

With one look into his eyes, she lost the little self-control she had left and clamped down around him so tightly he became a prisoner locked inside her walls. "Oh, my God, Elliot!" She arched her back, letting her head fall backward.

"Fucking hell, baby," he spat out through a tight jaw, falling off the precipice with her and shooting off into her like a hot cannon. He stilled, feeling her pulse around him, his body jerking as he came.

It lasted for a full minute, she counted the seconds between when she lost her vision completely and when it came back. Their skin stuck together, peeling apart as they tried to move and find a comfortable position, sharing soft kisses and hard breaths all the while.

He had just found the perfect dip in the mattress and had fit her against him as closely as he could, when his phone rang.

"No," she whined, her lips still against his.

He chuckled and sighed, sliding backward and sitting up. One arm stayed wrapped around Olivia and the other reached out to grab the disrespectful device. He looked at it for a moment, confused, and answered it as his eyes slowly traveled toward Olivia's. "Stabler," he said, almost a question. He listened, at the same time moving to kiss Olivia's forehead. "Wait, you what? Who is this?" He sat up straighter, his eyes darting around the room. "Jesus. Man, you almost gave me a heart-attack! Don't fucking do that!" He listened for a moment longer, sighed, and said, "Thanks for letting me know. No, she's...I'm taking good care of her, don't worry about that." He smiled at her. "Bye."

She watched him toss his phone back onto the end-table and waited until he turned to look at her again before she spoke. "Spill."

He laughed. "It was Fin, he used a burner phone so the call couldn't be traced, he just wanted to tell us...Haven is still out there, but Judge Koehler can't tell them anything."

"Why not?" she asked, sitting up a bit. "They can offer him a deal, he has a shot at getting out before he..."

"Liv, no," he said as he shook his head, stopping her. "Baby...he's dead."

 ** _Peace and Love_**

 ** _Jo_**

 ** _MarchCommaJo on Twitter_**


	13. Chapter 13

**_Law and Order: SVU is the intellectual property of Dick Wolf. The use of the characters, settings, and plotlines is not malicious. This is a work of fiction._**

It had been three hours since Fin's cryptic phone call. Two and half since Elliot's even more ambiguous phone call to his kids. One since Olivia had taken a shower, hoping to wash away the grime of the past few days, the confusion of the last twenty-four hours, and the smell of Elliot that had seeped into her every pore. That attempt was in vain, because Elliot had joined her, surprising her by working sweet-smelling shampoo into her scalp, while working himself into her body.

Now, dried, dressed, and well-sated, they sat on the couch, waiting for another phone call, drinking coffee and watching a made-for-TV movie that seemed more like a recap of an old case.

"You okay?" He asked the question right into her ear, just before taking her earlobe into his mouth, sucking for just a moment, and then licking the thin skin behind her ear. He couldn't help it; he needed to kiss, touch, love every inch of her, now that he was allowed. He sighed, kissing down her neck, dreading the moment they'd be thrust back into normalcy, when he couldn't have her whenever he wanted, when he had to pretend she wasn't already his.

Her eyes fluttered shut as she felt him nip at her throat, and she moaned softly for him. "Better now," she replied, a small smile pulling at her lips. "What about you?"

"Fucking perfect," he mumbled as his teeth dragged along the skin of her shoulder. He moved, then, curling into her. He reached behind him blindly and put his coffee mug down on the table, grabbed hers out of her hand and did the same, and then pulled her quickly, settling her on top of him as he sat back. He pried his lips away from her soft skin and looked into her eyes as she shifted into a perfect straddle, over him. "I don't want to say I'm enjoying this, but I really fucking am." He laughed and ran his fingers through her hair.

"Yeah," she sighed, dropping her forehead against his. "We needed this, you and me." She kissed the end of his nose and tilted her head. "But if I'm being honest, here, I hate not being out there, after this guy."

"Me, too," he nodded in agreement, still playing with her soft waves. He looked at the hair curled around his fingers, for the first time really noticing the vast array of colors, each strand slightly different in texture, blending to make a color that he was unable to name. It wasn't brown, it wasn't red, there were flecks of gold and streaks of copper, and it was so perfectly Olivia. He let his eyes trail along the curves of her chest as it heaved an inch in front of him before popping up to meet her slightly insecure gaze. "Don't do  
that," he whispered, craning his neck to reach her lips. He kissed her once. "Not with me."

She bit her lip, took a breath, and relaxed into his hold, sinking against his body. "It's hard not to," she said with a small shrug. "I'm jaded and bitter," she chuckled softly, "With a badge, a gun, and a five-cup-a-day coffee habit. Relationships aren't easy for me, and for a long time now, there was only one that meant anything to me." She looked into his eyes. "You. You were always the only one that mattered," she told him. "The one that I thought...I had myself convinced that there was a better chance of me winning the lottery on the same day I got struck by lightning and found out I was really a princess, than there ever was of me being here, with you, like this."

He laughed and kissed her again. "God, I thought I'd have to watch you marry some schmuck lawyer, or dimwit doctor," he shook his head and narrowed his eyes just a bit. "I wouldn't have survived that. I saw the moments slipping away, the chances flying by, and I had to do something before I went completely crazy." He pressed his lips to hers  
once more. "I will never be able to thank God enough that you feel the same way I do." He watched the rosy tones wash over her cheeks, and he couldn't help but laugh. "Olivia Benson? Blushing? Because of me? Damn," he quipped, kissing her again. He didn't part with her so quickly this time, instead he smoothed his hands up her back and splayed his palms over her, pressing her into him, holding her where he wanted her. The kiss deepened, darkened, years of unexpressed emotion and two days-worth of gratitude came to a head in this one, soul-crushing kiss.

She whimpered into his mouth, rising up a bit to get even closer to him. Her hands fisted the cotton of his tee shirt, her heart pounding so hard against her chest she was certain he could feel it against his, and she felt everything he'd hoped she would. More.

He slowed his kiss, languidly washing his tongue over hers, his lips sealing tightly with hers. Finally, he moved away, not because he wanted the kiss to end, but because oxygen had become a necessity. Panting, he rested his head against hers, his hands crawling back up her neck to tangle in her hair. "I love you," he breathed.

"I know," she nodded, just as breathless. "I love you, too."

They remained, just as they were, for a long, blissful moment. The television became mere white noise, their surroundings a blur, as all their focus was solely on each other. Her eyes closed, she felt his arms wrap even tighter around her, and she wished, harder than she ever had for anything, that she'd never have to move.

Wishes, sadly, don't come true so often. The doorbell rang, causing her head to pop up and Elliot to freeze beneath her. "El," she whispered.

He nodded, rising off the couch with her still firmly wrapped around his waist. He carried her a few feet before letting her slide down his body. He kissed her hard as he gripped the handle of his gun at his hip and took the short walk to the front door. He looked through the peep-hole, and then cursed as he rolled his eyes and dropped his guard. He opened the door with a rough-edged, "What the hell happened to calling first?"

"Couldn't risk it," Cragen said, pushing Elliot aside and stepping into the living room. "Darcy and Montgomery are still outside, they haven't left, and they wont. You're their priority."

"Cap," Elliot said, dragging a hand down his face, "You didn't come all the way out here to tell us our protective detail is doing their jobs."

"No," Cragen said, sitting on the couch with a huff, "I didn't." He pulled two large envelopes out of his jacket's inside-pocket. "First," he pointed a finger at Elliot, "Why didn't I know you filed for divorce?"

Elliot raised an eyebrow and scoffed. "Are you shitting me?" he spat. "Because you didn't need to know, not until it was finalized and I had to update shit at work. Why, is that a problem?"

Cragen shot Elliot a warning glare and nodded once in Olivia's direction. "You tell me."

"Jesus, no," Elliot shot back, narrowing his eyes and folding his arms. "Why are you bringing this up?"

"Here," Cragen said, tossing Elliot one of the envelopes. "You need to sign that. I told the judge I'd get that back to him by tonight. Your, uh, situation here...made it easy for him to expedite things.

Immediately, and eagerly, Elliot tore open the envelope, walking fast over to a small table near the door. He opened a drawer, pulled out a pen, and made sure he signed and initialed every required spot. He folded the papers back up and brought them back over to Cragen. "Thanks," he said, nodding. He gave Olivia a furtive glance and small grin, licked his lips, and looked back at Cragen. "That it?"

"Hardly," Cragen said. He sighed and looked back at Olivia, this time with more fear than anger in his eyes. "You know Koheler is dead."

Olivia nodded. "Fin told us this morning," she said.

"He tell you how?" Cragen asked. There was a thin layer of sweat forming on the aging man's forehead, his lips trembled as he spoke, and he shifted in his seat.

Elliot furrowed his brow, looking at his captain. "No," he said. He moved over to Olivia, took her by the arm, and led her to the couch. "You don't look so good, Cap, what's wrong?" He sat, pulling Olivia down to sit beside him, both of them turned inward to face Cragen,

"Air embolism," Cragen said shortly. "Someone injected him with a syringe full of nothing but air, and until Warner found the pinhole it was deemed a heart-attack, do you understand what I'm saying?"

Olivia's eyebrows knotted and she shot Elliot a hard look. "Spevak's dead," she said, a question mark forming on her face. She looked back at Cragen. "You're saying Haven didn't kill him?"

"Haven is still after the two of you, and thanks to some strategic planted evidence and fake phone calls, we're leading him in the wrong direction," Cragen said, biting his lip. "When you two worked the Spevak case, do you remember what Emma Spevak said to you when you booked her?"

"Something about...her victims, she called them all 'Mama,' but what the hell does that case have to do with this one?" Olivia asked, her hands tightening around Elliot's arm.

"We didn't look far enough into her background," Cragen said, handing Olivia the other envelope he'd brought with him. "Emma was a mama herself. A son. She gave him up for adoption because, well, his conception wasn't exactly planned."

Olivia opened the envelope and unfolded the thick packet of papers. She read the first page, and then turned it so Elliot could read the rest with her. "Holy shit," she said, her head popping up. "So this Haven guy is her son," she said.

Cragen swallowed hard and nodded. "He found out about her when he started dating Chelsea Koehler, he was helping her reorganize her grandfather's office and stumbled upon a couple of write-ups," he paused, and he pointed at them. "You two, after he read the truth about his mommy dearest, became his target."

"So he agrees to help Koehler kill us, but then, what?" Elliot muses. "Doesn't want a trail, no witness, so the girl and the judge have to go?"

Cragen nodded. "That's what we're thinking," he said. "At any rate, we'll find out tonight. We set him up, he thinks he's gonna find you, but we'll be waiting for him."

Olivia saw him getting up, but grabbed his sleeve. "Wait," she said, looking up at her captain. "Why did you tell us all of this? In a case like this, we aren't supposed to know."

Cragen sighed, smiled at the woman he thought of like a daughter, and he said, "You needed to know why, that it wasn't your fault. I know you, both of you, and you've been sitting in this house for three days, trying to figure out who you pissed off, feeling guilty for putting each other in danger, am I right?"

Elliot looked at Olivia, and then sheepishly grinned and shrugged at Cragen. "Pretty much." He looked back at Olivia and winked. That wasn't all they were doing. He turned back to Cragen, and as he watched the man head for the door, he asked, "One more thing, Cap. Who, uh, who told Kathy where we were? Before, I mean, when we were at the first house."

Cragen's eyes closed, he let out a hard breath. He'd been hoping Elliot wouldn't ask that question. "We figured it out, and I handled it, so please, just..."

"Cap," Elliot interrupted. "You know, I need to know. Anyone who'd put me and Liv at risk like that...I have a right to know who we're running from, here."

"Tyler," Cragen said, "Koehler's son."

 _ **Peace and Love**_

 _ **Jo**_

 _ **MarchCommaJo on Twitter**_


	14. Chapter 14

**_Law and Order: SVU is the intellectual property of Dick Wolf. The use of the characters, settings, and plotlines is not malicious. This is a work of fiction._**

They watched Cragen leave in stunned silence, the memories of cases long buried under heaps and piles in the backs of their minds climbing to the surface. Elliot let out a hard sigh and turned to Olivia. "What the fuck?"

She did little more than shake her head as she plopped back down onto the couch. She pulled her knees up and bit her lip. "What else is going to come back and bite us in the ass?" she asked absentmindedly. "How many more people whose lives we fucked up by doing our jobs are out there, right now, plotting their revenge?"

"Baby," he mumbled as he sat next to her. "Don't go there. No one, okay? This one kid...he was dealt a rotten hand from the moment he was born, his mom was bat-shit crazy, okay? This doesn't have anything to do with us. Not really."

She looked at him. "He went on the hunt for his mother, found out we're the reason she's locked up...how do we not have anything to with it?"

He kissed her forehead and settled his body around hers. He picked up the remote control and found some cheesy sit-com on the television before answering her. "He needs someone to blame. He can't blame his mother because she's in jail. He can't blame his father because he doesn't know who that is. He tried to blame the judge, but then found a closer link, and we're the easiest target." He kissed her lips softly. "No one else is out there trying to..."

"Richard White," she interrupted.

He narrowed his eyes and shook his head. "He will never see the outside of his jail cell, and if he ever does, he's not getting anywhere near you, do you understand me?"

She raised one eyebrow in question. "El?"

"In case you haven't noticed, I'm kind of hell bent on protecting you." He kissed her again. "For the rest of my life. I swear, no one is going to hurt you." He pressed his lips to hers. "I...I will never hurt you. I swear on my life. No way in hell."

She tilted her head and swiped her lips across his neck. "I know," she whispered, dropping a kiss over his pulse. She felt it beat against her lips and said, "I remember."

"Remember what?" he said on a whisper, closing his eyes. He moaned as he felt her teeth scrape along his skin.

"Rook," she said, nipping at his neck. "You wouldn't...he wanted you to push that button." She kissed a line up from his neck to his ear and licked right behind his lobe. "You wouldn't. You thought you'd hurt me if you did, and no matter what he said, or did, no matter how much he threatened and yelled...you wouldn't."

He shook his head fast, swallowing hard, trying to keep some sense of self control. "I promised, a long time ago, that I would never be the reason you hurt. No matter what it cost me, I wouldn't be the one that hurts you."

"Well, that's good," she said, a small smile on her face, "Because I made that same exact promise, to you."

He nodded, grinning. "I know. Uh, Gitano." He lightly cupped her chin and pulled her back up to meet his eyes. "I remember. So, I guess, since we will always be there to save each other, we're good."

"Then, we're always going to be good, huh?" She ran her tongue lightly over the seam of his lips, teasing him.

He smirked as he nodded and bent his head, kissing her once more, this time letting it linger. His hands smoothed up her arms, around her neck, pulling her close to him, and as he breathed her in he thought back to the first moment he laid eyes on her. He knew then that she would be the death of him, one way or another. He knew she'd drive him crazy in every way possible, and be the only thing that would keep his sane at the same time. He knew, by the end of their first day together, that part of him was lost to her, and the rest of him would follow. "I love you," he whispered, his lips moving against hers.

"I love you, too," she said, her voice soft. She pulled away from him, put her hands on his chest, and took a deep breath. "Those papers you signed," she pulled her lip into her mouth, biting down.

"Yeah," he breathed, "What about them?"

She looked up, into his eyes, trying to ask him without words what she needed to know. When he didn't say anything, but kissed her again, she hummed against his mouth and pushed him away again. "You sure that's what you wanted?" she asked, blinking once.

He smiled, nodded, and said, "Absolutely." He stared at her for a long moment before reclaiming her lips. His fingers tangled in her hair and every exhalation brought with it a relieved and satisfied moan.

She smiled, giving into the comfort and safety she found with him, kissing him back eagerly. He looped an arm around her waist and pulled her up, hoping to move her into the bedroom. They were almost to the door, when a thunderous crash and loud explosion from outside shook the house. Elliot ran to the front door, his eyes wide and his heart pounding, praying his instincts were wrong.

Olivia ran up behind him, but was stopped by his held out hand. "What?"

"Go into the bedroom, grab the bags, we gotta go. out the back, now!" He turned and pushed her, running with her toward the bedroom. He grabbed one large duffle bag and tossed one to her, and then made sure his gun was at his hip where it belonged. He grabbed her by the wrist and ran, yanking her along with him.

"What the hell happened?" she asked, running with him. She didn't even turn around as they blew through the back door, leaving it open.

"I don't think they led Haven in the wrong direction," he said to her, running harder, praying for his legs to move him faster. He pulled her with him across the road, past a gas station, and into a dark alley. "Call Cragen," he whispered, pulling her further into the shadows.

She squinted as she pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. "Will you tell me what the fuck..."

"The car...Montgomery and Darcy..." he panted, taking the phone from her and dialing.

"Oh, my God," she gasped. "That's what blew up?"

He nodded as he heard Cragen answer his phone. "You need...to come get us. Now. Turn around, then, I'm serious!" He looked at Olivia and pulled her into him, kissed the crown of her head and said, "He found us."

 _ **Peace and Love**_

 _ **Jo**_

 _ **MarchCommaJo on Twitter**_


	15. Chapter 15

**_Law and Order: SVU is the intellectual property of Dick Wolf. The use of the characters, settings, and plotlines is not malicious. This is a work of fiction._**

In the very last booth, in the back corner of a dimly lit diner, Elliot sat beside Olivia, his arms tight around her. He sat, staring across the table at his captain and Sergeant Tucker. He kissed her forehead, his eyes closing briefly, and he pulled her even closer. He eyed Cragen, but didn't give a shit anymore if he saw anything; she mattered more to him than anything. Her, and their safety, were his priorities at the moment. "What the hell happened?" he asked harshly, eyes narrowing and nostrils flaring. "I thought you were sending Haven on a wild goose chase two states away! How the hell did he find us? What the fuck are we supposed to tell Montgomery's wife? Darcy had kids!"

"Please," Tucker said, holding up both hands, palms out. His own eyes were closed in regret and, if he was honest, fear. "I don't know how he found you. We had people tailing him, but he...he evaded them on the highway when..."

"He evaded a bunch of cops? Who the hell have you been hiring?" Elliot fumed. "Let me guess, you pulled a bunch of snot-nosed, green kids from the academy and gave them the job, huh?" He slammed his open palm on the table, holding Olivia tighter with his other arm when she jumped. "God damn it, I haven't seen my kids in a week, and I don't even know who the hell we're running from, anymore, because someone who knows where the fuck we are is obviously trying to help the asshole kill us!" He raised his hand, balled it into a fist, and pointed one,thick finger at Tucker. "You keep telling me the only two people who really know that...are you two."

Cragen balked and raised one eyebrow. "Are you accusing us of..."

"Damn right I am!" Elliot barked back. "You have told us, over and over, that the only two people who know specifics about where we are and what we're doing are the two of you, so what the hell am I supposed to think when no matter where we go, he finds us?"

Tucker smoothed a hand along the surface of his stubble-peppered cheek and said, "We, uh, may have an answer for that." He looked at Olivia, who seemed to be in a daze, staring at nothing as she nestled herself into Elliot. He smiled sadly to himself and then looked back at Elliot. "Someone bugged Cragen's office."

Elliot laughed. It was the only thing he could do to keep from landing a hard punch to Tucker's jaw. "Of course," he said with a shrug. "Why wouldn't that happen?" He scratched at his chin, sighed, and dropped another kiss to the top of Olivia's head. "Where do we go now?" he asked. "If you think I'm getting on a bus to Podunk, Iowa or some shit, changing my name to Vince and pretending I'm a stock broker, leaving my kids behind, you can fuck the fuck off."

"Witness protection is not even an option," Tucker said dismissively, "Because, you know, that's for protecting witnesses." He rubbed his eyes. "As far as we know, you two haven't really witnessed anything. You wouldn't even know what the asshole looks like if you didn't have his eight-by-ten pinned up in your squad room."

"Well, thank God for small favors," Elliot hissed with gritted teeth. He looked around and then huffed, "And where the hell is the waitress? We haven't had a decent meal in days."

As if only to prove she was conscious, Olivia said, "Judging by the looks of this place, we won't be getting one tonight, either."

The momentary break from seriousness was welcome, and the table broke out into soft chuckles. Elliot looked down at Olivia, smiling, and told her as softly as he could that he loved her. He looked back up at his captain, suddenly realizing the last week seemed to age him a year. "You okay, Cap?" he questioned, and he silently admitted to himself that it felt so good to ask that question to someone besides Olivia.

"You want the pragmatic answer or the truth?" Cragen breathed. He looked down into his empty coffee mug, bitterly glaring at it and wishing it would refill itself. "I'm scared shitless."

Olivia's head popped up at that, and she looked like a confused cocker spaniel. "Why? You're not the one..."

"I've never had to worry about the two of you," Cragen interrupted, still boring into his ceramic cup with his eyes. "Never had to question my call to send you into the field, always confident you'd get the job done, whatever it was. I never had to wonder if you were okay, because I just knew...if you were together, you would be. Now, I...there's nothing I can do, nothing, but sit in my office and pray that we find this son-of-a-bitch before something happens." Finally, he lifted his bleak and bleary eyes and looked into Olivia's. "I don't know what I would do if..." he stopped, refusing to let any sort of human emotion escape.

Tucker looked at him and nodded in understanding. "Yeah, that goes for me, too. I know I ram you up a lot, but let's be honest, you deserve it. You threw the rule book out the window years ago, and from the looks of things, you haven't exactly gone out to find it." He saw Elliot smirk, watched him kiss Olivia again, and he rolled his eyes as he spoke again. "But professional pain-in-the-ass aside, I don't want to see either of you hurt. Not...not like this. So please, I know it's painful, and I know I've never given you a real reason to, but I need you to trust me."

Elliot bit the inside of his cheek, almost hard enough to draw blood. "You never answered my question. Where are we going? We should probably stay away from safe houses. They haven't exactly been safe."

Cragen looked at him, tilted his head, and said, "You're staying the only place I know for damn certain you'll be out of harm's way."

"Cap, uh," Elliot looked at Olivia and then shifted in his seat. He pulled her close again and cleared his throat. "With all due respect, I don't think you want me and Liv at your place right now. We've been dealing with a lot, we're both pissed off and uncomfortable, and I don't think we..."

"I meant the station," Cragen said with a grimace, knowing where Elliot was heading with his innuendo. "You'll stay in the bunk room, you know there's no way Haven would get in, and..."

"Are you serious?" Olivia said with a mild hmph.

Cragen looked at her, wondering if he should tell her what had happened to her apartment, the truth behind why he wanted them closer to his watchful eye. He settled for giving her a small smile. "There's really no other option."

Tucker exhaled sharply, and with a shrug and a frown, he said, " Yes, there is."

 _ **Peace and Love**_

 _ **Jo**_

 _ **MarchCommaJo on Twitter**_


	16. Chapter 16

**_Law and Order: SVU is the intellectual property of Dick Wolf. The use of the characters, settings, and plotlines is not malicious. This is a work of fiction._**

"This is..." he paused and looked at her, a can of beer just in front of his lips. He stopped mid-sip to speak. "Fucking weird."

Olivia shrugged, watching him intently as he gulped down whatever was left in the can. She cringed when he crushed it in his left hand and tossed it into a small trash can, and she heard the clang as it hit the three that were already at the bottom. "Please," she almost whispered, "Stop."

He scoffed, grabbing another can and sauntering over to the couch. "These are weak," he told her, popping the tab. He took a long sip and raised an eyebrow at her. "I'm obviously not driving."

"Cragen's already pissed off at us," she said, and her head jerked to the left, indicating the area of the room that housed the camera. "Don't give him more of a reason to fire you."

"He can't," he said smugly. "We're off duty." He took another long sip of his beer, then set the can down on the coffee table. "Sorry, I just...I'm sorry." He felt a pang of guilt. He knew she hated when he drank that much, and he knew why. He bit his bottom lip, then, and looked to his left, eyeing the blinking red dot of the camera that was meant to make him feel safe. It did nothing but the opposite. He reached for her hand and tangled his fingers between hers. "Can we..." he stopped and looked at her, getting lost in her brown eyes. "There are only two rooms in the house they didn't wire, so can we please go into one of them? I hate being watched."

"Is that what this is?" she asked, pointing to his half-empty can. "You're...what, nervous?" She smirked. "You afraid they'll see something they shouldn't?"

"Just...afraid, in general," he admitted. "We're in the middle of fucking nowhere, and we're constantly on Candid Camera." He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her close. "Fin called. They have no fucking idea where Haven is, now; they have Tyler in lock-up, he isn't talking." He pressed his lips to her forehead. "I'm going crazy not being able to go after this prick and kill him myself, and on top of it, we're in a federal safe house. Federal, baby, you know how I feel about working with..."

"We aren't working with him." She shook her head and moved just a bit to her left, letting her lips drag lightly over the skin of his neck. "You don't even have to talk to him. You really hate him, huh?" She teased the thin skin behind his ear with her tongue, an effort to distract him.

He nodded and moaned, feeling her teeth graze over his pulse, and lowered his voice. "And I really don't want to put on a show for him right now." He chuckled and said, "As much as I would love to rub this in his face."

She pulled her lips away from his neck and looked at him. "I'm scared, too," she confessed. She brought her hand up to his cheek. "But I'm with you, so I'm...okay." She let her hand fall, following the lines and curves of his body, until it smoothed between his legs. She bit her lip and leaned into him. "I really don't care what Porter sees, by the way."

He moaned once more, and then smiled at her and got to his feet. "I do," he growled as he pulled her off of the couch and into his arms. He heard her yep and laugh, and he felt her wrap her legs around his waist. He kissed her as he carried her up the stairs and into the first bedroom on the left. He threw her on the bed with an evil grunt and pulled his tee shirt off over his head. He threw it to the ground and yanked down his flannel pants before leaping on top of her.

She laughed, throwing her head backward into the pillows. "You're crazy," she teased.

"About you," he clarified, peppering her neck with soft kisses as his eager hands tugged and twisted her clothes, prying them off of her body. As he lowered her pants, he lowered his mouth, dragging his lips down her toned body, skimming along every bit of newly exposed skin. He stopped at her hips, letting his tongue poke out and lick along the dip of her inner thigh.

She jerked a bit as his actions sent shockwaves coursing through her. "What are you..." she gasped, getting an answer to her question. She felt him give a hard tug, taking her pants fully off, and she heard them plop to the floor. She took another harsh breath as she felt his tongue swipe up the juncture of legs, and her hands flew to the back of his head

He moaned as his eyes closed; he delved in deeper, sweeping his tongue upward over and over. She tasted like salted caramel, so sweet with a spicy kick. He moaned again, realizing how perfectly that described her. He spread her open a bit wider with his thick fingers, dragged his tongue up again, slowly, and then flicked the tip of it rapidly over her clit.

"Oh, my god," she breathed, her back arching, her body pressing against his face.

He moaned, growing more voracious. He loved hearing her sounds, feeling her buck against him, proud that it was all because of him and determined to make sure he would be the only one, for the rest of her life.

"El," she almost growled, "Please." She dug her nails into his scalp and scratched, trying to pull him up, needing to feel more of him, all of him.

"What?" he said, his eyes narrow, still teasing her wet, sensitive flesh with his tongue.

"God, please..." she begged, her back arching even more. He was going to make her cum any minute, and she was torn between needing it to happen and wanting to hold off until he was inside her, where she needed him the most. She looped one hand under his chin and pulled, finally bringing him up to meet her face.

He held her gaze for a moment as he shifted his legs and waist, and he smiled down at her. "This is my favorite place, in the whole world," he told her. He kissed her as he pushed into her slowly. "Right here," he said on a grunt, "With you."

Her nails scraped downward from his head to his back and she dug her nails in deep, right under his shoulder blades, as he bottomed out, his pelvis kidding hers. "Oh, God, Elliot," she whispered, closing her eyes, relishing in the moment.

He stayed still, breathing calmly with his eyes shut, too. He needed to feel, just for a moment, the way she enveloped him, the way she took him into her. With a kiss, he began to move, slowly and deeply, the buzz of the alcohol long worn off. He was intoxicated now only by her, getting more and more inebriated by the second.

One of her legs slid up his body and curled around his thrusting body, her heel digging in and forcing him deeper. "God," she moaned. "Oh, God."

"Fuck," he spat, speeding up as he felt her starting to tighten around him. He pressed his open palms into the mattress on either side of her head. "Oh, no you don't," he teased, kissing her. "Not yet." He hit into her harder, but slower, dragging each thrust as much as he could, needing this to last. He felt her nails pierce his skin and he seethed, her name flying out on a breath. "Fuck, baby."

She whimpered, his name only a mew as it left her lips, and she was now teetering on the edge, every long stroke by him only prolonging an eruption. "Elliot," she whispered, her head lolling to one side. "Oh, my God," she intoned.

He felt her clamp a but harder and he knew he wouldn't be able to keep her hanging in the slight balance for much longer. He growled when she started to pulse around him and he moved faster, harder, deeper, because there was no way he in he would let her fall without jumping after her. "Shit," he panted, and then his lips crashed into hers to catch her cries. He could feel the vibrations of her body, hear the echoes of her moans and curses reverberate in his mouth and against his ears. It only served to bring on his own powerful release, firing like a cannon into her. He shook and trembled as his body convulsed and he felt her do the same, undulating beneath him. The moment before he calmed, he gathered the strength to flip them over.

She lay sprawled on him like a tired cat, her heart pounding in time with his, she could tell. Her left hand was over his heart. "God, damn, El," she breathed.

He chuckled and ran his hands up and down her wracked body, bringing new goosebumps to light at his touch. He was still twitching inside of her, and her light whimpers and soft moans told him she could feel every bit of movement, and she loved it. This was his haven, in her arms, in her, with her. "I have a question for you."

"Don't ask me to marry you," she told him, only half-kidding. "Not like this," she added with a laugh.

"Well, no, not that," he told her, laughing with her. He took a deep breath, wondering if now would even be a good time to broach the subject, whether it was too soon or too late. "I just...you want kids, right?"

Her eyes popped open. She lifted her head and slowly turned to look down at him, wide-eyed. "What are you..."

"Just...let me say this, before you have a heart-attack," he said, and then he took another breath. "This whole fucking ordeal...this guy coming after us, almost getting crushed by that car..." he grew more nervous as he tried to talk to her. He took another shaky breath and let it out fast through pursed lips. "Life is really fucking short, and anything can happen...we can go at any moment...nothing has proven that more than the last month. So I am asking...if you still want kids."

"You know I do," she said, her eyes narrowing. "But what does that have to do with..."

"Before anything happens to me," he interrupted, but he looked into her eyes again and he saw the fear and mild confusion in them. "I want to make all your dreams come true, Liv. Anything...everything...you want, or need...it's my job to make sure..."

"Nothing is going to happen," she said, cutting him off, "To either of us. We have all the time in the world." She kissed his lips softly.

He took longer than usual to open his eyes after her kiss, and there were tears in them when he did. "What if we don't?"

She knew what he was saying, she tried desperately to ignore the fact that he might've been right. "Do you want..."

"Damn right I do," he told her, and the seriousness in his voice startled both of them. He didn't even know how much he meant it until she asked. "I don't want you to...I don't want to regret...we both deserve..." and then the tears that had been threatening the backs of his eyes all day had finally spilled.

She brushed them away with the pads of her thumbs and kissed him. "We aren't going to let anything happen to each other," she whispered to him, searching his eyes for some sign that he believed her. Still, she saw the fear, and the honesty, and the trust, and the love, and she knew that he'd give his life for her if he had to, and that's what his greatest fear would be: leaving her alone. She took another breath, and when she saw him smirk, one eyebrow rising and one eye twinkling, she had to concede. She smiled. "Okay."

His eyes widened and he gave a small gasp, but she pressed her finger to his lips before he could speak.

"But," she began, "Let's get through this, first, huh?" She kissed him. "That's something I really don't want to share with Porter."

 _ **Peace and Love**_

 _ **Jo**_

 _ **MarchCommaJo on Twitter**_


	17. Chapter 17

**_Law and Order: SVU is the intellectual property of Dick Wolf. The use of the characters, settings, and plotlines is not malicious. This is a work of fiction._**

A cup of coffee in one hand, a folded newspaper in the other, and as he sipped and read, he smiled. He looked across the table at her, her hair in a ponytail and her eyes staring at something in the distance out the window. There was something new in her eyes, something different, and he wasn't sure if it was a good thing or not, but damn, she looked beautiful. "What's up?" he asked, hoping to get her attention.

She blinked and turned to him, both of her hands wrapped around a mug of coffee. "How many times do you think we've hurt each other?"

"What?" He asked the question on a painful whisper, his heart stopping.

"Unintentionally," she said with a shrug. "Or even...sometimes it was intentional. Things we've said to each other, things we've done..."

He stopped her and said, "Why are you thinking about..."

"Because," she interrupted, "All of this...our situation and what's been happening with us, well, that's...that's the reason why, isn't it?" She bit her lip. "We got mad...frustrated...hurt because we both wanted what we couldn't have."

He furrowed his brow and shook his head slightly. "Baby, what brought this on?"

"I dated people I knew you couldn't stand just to push your buttons, and I've thrown things back at you because I wanted you to feel, just an ounce, of the pain I felt knowing that everything I wanted, everything I was...lied with you." She gave him a sad smile. "If I would have known you'd felt the same way the whole time, I could've vented a lot of that frustration in much more, uh, productive ways."

He laughed and put his newspaper down, and then slid from his chair to the one beside her. He took both of her hands in his and looked into her eyes. "I am so...so sorry...for every hurtful word I've ever said, and every vindictive thing I've ever done." He kissed her forehead and then the tip of her nose. "But you're right. It was all because I wanted you, so badly, and couldn't have you."

She peered up at him and ran the pads of her thumbs over his knuckles. "You have me now," she whispered. A small chuckle escaped. "I'm going to be kind of sad when this is over."

He squinted at her. "What do you mean?"

"I'm getting so used to waking up with you, spending mornings just like this, going to bed with you every night..." She paused and sighed. "When I have to go back to being alone in that apartment, I'm probably going to be..."

"Did the last three days completely slip your mind?" he questioned, a small grin on his face but worry in his eyes. "Everything we talked about this weekend? We have plans; none of them include you going back to that cold, empty apartment." He bit back the urge to tell her the biggest reason why she couldn't. It was something he was still keeping from her, and part of him hoped he could convince her to move in with him before he had to divulge the truth.

"You were serious?" she asked, her hands frozen stiff in mid air, on their way to bring her coffee mug to her lips. Her left eye twitched and her heart pounded against her chest.

He scoffed and his smile faded. "Are you saying you weren't?"

She blinked fast and shook her head. "No, no, I...I was, completely serious, I just thought that..." she finally took that sip of coffee and swallowed it, along with the lump that had built in her throat. "Things change. And when this ends, and it's back to work, back home, I just figured..." she chuckled and rolled her eyes. "You just got divorced, and there's a sea of women in that city who'd kill to get into bed with you. One...one who's already tried." She eyed him almost viciously. "Casey's waiting for you, you know that, don't you?"

"She can keep waiting," he said, his lips dragging over Olivia's cheek. He kissed her lips lightly. "And that sea of other women? They're shit out of luck. Baby, I'm yours." He pulled back and looked into her eyes. "And every morning, you'll wake up in my arms, we will have an hour or two, just like this, work the way we always have, and then I will take you home, and every night..."

She stopped his speaking with a kiss, silencing his words and her doubts, and for a moment she was lost in him. When she pulled away, though, she sighed. "Sorry," she muttered. "I guess that phone call from Cragen this morning got to me. This could all end tonight, and I...part of me isn't ready to face the reality of...well, reality."

He kissed her again. "Yeah, I know," he told her. "And you're not the only one having moments of disbelief, here, okay? Christ, when I woke up and you were in the shower, for a split second, I thought this had all been a dream."

"Then you hopped into the shower with me," she said, grinning, "And proved how wide awake you were."

He wiggled his eyebrows and laughed, slanting his lips over hers again. "Still awake," he half-whispered. His hands moved, skimming down her body. He got a good grip on her and lifted her, out of her chair and into his lap, still kissing her. He ran his hands upward, smoothing over her back and her neck, finally tangling his fingers in her hair. "I love you," he breathed into their kiss.

She moaned lightly, and then said, "I love you, too," before smiling against his lips and digging her nails into his back.

He pulled her shirt up, just a bit, and was about to slip his hands under the fabric, when his phone rang. "Fuck," he hissed. "If that's Porter purposely stopping us from..."

"Answer it," she scolded, her mouth attached to his neck.

He groaned and rolled his eyes, his left hand cupping and squeezing her ass as his right fumbled around on the table for his cell phone. "Stabler," he grumbled, finally finding and answering it. He tried like hell to keep from moaning as Olivia suckled on the thin skin behind his ear. He bit his lip, hard, and gave affirmative hums as he listened to the caller, but then he froze. He lifted his head up and gently pushed Olivia away. "What? How? When?" he asked in rapid succession. He tapped his lover on her back, getting her to move off of him, and rose from his chair. He looked around the room as he told the person on the other end of the phone, "How did this fucking happen?"

Olivia screwed up her face in confusion and folded her arms. "What?" she asked, loudly.

Elliot held up a finger as he shouted, "I don't care how you do it, just do it! We're not leaving, not again, so if he's on his way, then we're gonna be fucking ready for him. And I swear to God, when I get my hands on you...yeah, well you didn't do a good job of it, did you?" He huffed, spat an angry goodbye, and tossed his phone onto the couch.

"What the hell was that about?" she asked, taking a step toward him.

Fuming, he looked at her. "Fin," he hissed, "He was the only one in the unit who didn't secure his emails...it's not his fault,  
but...Porter fucking sent him our address, just in case, and Haven...Haven hacked into the system and now he knows where we are." He laughed bitterly. "That was Porter, warning us. He's outside, now, waiting in a fucking car, and he promised a team would be out here within an hour, but if Haven's already on his way..."

"Then it's up to us," she finished for him, seeing the fire in his eyes. She rested a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. "You said you wanted to get the bastard yourself."

He looked at her and nodded. "Damn right I did," he said firmly. He ran to the side of the room and pulled his gun, hers, and two others out of a drawer. He made sure they were all loaded before handing two of them to her. "You and me," he said.

She looked at him for a moment before kissing his lips softly. "Yeah," she whispered, and she dropped her head to his.

Elliot's eyes closed as he kissed her again, but they opened and slowly turned toward the front door.

Olivia saw where his gaze landed, and she noticed the fire in his eyes. She took a deep breath and realized, if Haven managed to get passed Porter, there was no way in hell he'd get passed Elliot.

 _ **Peace and Love**_

 _ **Jo**_

 _ **MarchCommaJo on Twitter**_


	18. Chapter 18

**_Law and Order: SVU is the intellectual property of Dick Wolf. The use of the characters, settings, and plotlines is not malicious. This is a work of fiction._**

"El," Olivia said, biting her lip as she stared at him from the kitchen doorway, "Come on, maybe he's not coming after us, after all. You've been standing by the door with your gun drawn for hours."

"And I'm staying right here until I blow Haven's head off," he responded, unblinking, gritting his teeth.

Sighing, she moved toward him. "Sit down," she said, bringing her hands up to rest on his rigid shoulders. "You're scaring me."

"Well, that phone call scared me," he snapped back at her. Then, he exhaled and blinked slowly. "Sorry, I...I didn't mean to yell at you. But I'm not moving. Not until..."

He was silenced by a scratching sound at the door. He aimed his gun, took a step closer, and said, "Either brace yourself or get out of the room."

Suddenly scared, she gripped and raised her own weapon. She moved to stand next to Elliot, but he shot a hand out and told her to stay behind him. She wasn't in the mood to argue, but she also wasn't in the mood to play damsel-in-distress, so she pushed his arm away and moved beside him.

The scratching got louder, the knob began to twist slowly. The stillness, silence between them made them even more nervous, and at the same moment, they took another step and raised their guns a little higher. The door opened, the smallest crack, and Elliot's sharp intake of breath almost made Olivia pull her trigger too soon.

She watched the door open a bit more, and her instincts told her something wasn't right. "Gun," she said, leaping on top of Elliot and slamming him into the floor, just as the nose of a pistol peeked around the wooden door. Shots rang out as Elliot, now on his knees, returned fire, clear through the door, not really caring who was on the other side.

Olivia tried to pull him with her, toward the kitchen, but he was determined. She heard a gruff voice curse and moan in pain, and the stranger's weapon fell to the floor of what should have been the safest house in the world. She leaped to her feet and kicked the gun away from the open, bullet-shredded door, and yanked on the knob, swinging it wide. "Elliot," she called to him, a slight waver in her voice.

Elliot ran to her, looking down, then around, confused. He swore he'd shot someone, but there was no body, no blood. "What the fuck..."

"Diversions," a voice from behind them called, followed by a short but evil laugh. "As New York's Finest, I would have assumed you'd be smarter than that."

Without hesitation, Elliot raised his gun and fired, hitting the man in the shoulder. "Get behind me," he said to Olivia, trying to cover her in case the man got up and tried something.

"Fuck you," she spat, raising an eyebrow as she raised her gun. "When have I ever..." she stopped talking when she saw, out of the corner of her eye, the man on the ground crawling toward her. She trained her gun on him. "Don't you dare, you son-of-a-bitch."

The man chuckled again. "I guess this means you know who I am?"

"Haven," Elliot spat, kneeling down and pressing the barrel of his gun to Haven's head. "Give me a reason."

As if he suddenly realized what was happening, Haven's grin faded. "I didn't think you'd be this hard to take out."

"Give me," Elliot snarled, his jaw clenched as he pressed his gun deeper against Haven's temple, "A reason. Why? Why us?"

Haven laughed again. "Like I was gonna turn down five million dollars."

"Someone hired you?" Olivia asked, stunned. "Who?"

"This didn't have anything to do with your mother?" Elliot questioned, confused, but still holding his gun steady.

Haven shook his head. "I went to the cops, when I found that report in Koehler's office. I just wanted to talk to you, at first, ask her...what she was like, if I could go visit her just so I could ask her why she gave me away."

"But that somehow turned into you trying to kill us?" Elliot almost yelled.

Haven took a breath and gulped, closing his eyes, feeling as though Elliot would pull the trigger. When he didn't, one eye opened. "No, just...just you, Stabler."

"Who hired you? Why?" Olivia asked, the color draining from her face. This was supposed to end, finish. She was supposed to get her life back, but now she was being thrown into something even more terrifying, more dangerous. Biting her lip, she took a step forward. "If he doesn't shoot you, I will, now answer the..."

"I don't know why!" Haven yelled, narrowing his eyes at her. "I didn't ask for a reason. The man offered me five mil, said all I had to do was follow you around and take the chance when I got it, and fuck, you two are hard to kill." He laughed snidely. "I wasn't even trying to kill you. You, Benson, would just be a bonus. Collateral damage, as they say."

"Who?" Elliot snapped, hitting his gun into the side of Haven's head again, reminding him his life could be over any moment. "A name."

"Don't know that either," Haven said, side-eyeing Elliot as beads of sweat dripped down his forehead.

Olivia furrowed her brow, dropping her gun. "Something...something isn't right, here." She looked around the house. "El, Porter said he was going to be out front, waiting. He would have seen Haven rigging that gun, or wouldn't he come running if he heard shots?" She turned to look at the shelving unit, where the security camera lay hidden, and she didn't see the usual blinking lights. "Camera's are off. You don't think..."

"All right pal," Elliot grunted, pulling Haven to his feet, keeping the gun where it was. "You're coming with me." He dragged Haven, who was now moaning in pain and bleeding from his shoulder wound, toward the front door. He looked across the street, his eyes narrow. "Son-of-a-bitch," he said. "No car. No Porter." He looked at Olivia. "I'm gonna...have a little man-to-man chat with our friend, here, uh, go into the bedroom, baby. Call Cragen."

Olivia gave him a concerned look.

"You probably shouldn't be here," Elliot said to her, venom in his words and fire in his eyes. "Cameras aren't on, no one would believe anything this little piss-ant says, and you'll have..."

"Plausible deniability," she said, catching on. "Don't...don't kill him," she said, a half-whisper, almost pleading.

Elliot shook his head. "You know me," he told her, and then he turned his head and gave Haven a threatening look. "I know when to stop, but...if you ask me to put you out of your misery, I will." He looked back at Olivia. "Go."

Fear in her eyes, hidden behind slight arousal and a tinge of menace, she nodded once at him and walked toward the stairs. Halfway up, she heard a loud crunching sound and Haven's blood-curdling cry. She momentarily thanked God they were on an empty street, remote, away from anyone who would have heard him. She made it to the bedroom and closed the door, which didn't do much to muffle the screams and sounds of Elliot's tortuous actions. Cringing, she took her burner phone out of her pocket and dialed. She waited through only one ring. "Cap?No, no, we...we're okay. We thought that you...no, Porter isn't here. He never was, but...Haven is." She paused and heard another scream. "Elliot's...dealing with him. He said someone hired him, and I know you're going to want us to move somewhere else, but this time I just want to come home. We'll stay at the station, just...please?"

She listened to what Cragen was saying, his rapid explanation and promise to be there to pick her and Elliot up within minutes. And then he asked her a question. A question about Elliot. One she wasn't even ready to answer for herself. She froze for a moment, thinking. She thought about the way the sound of his voice made her weak in the knees, the way the mere mention of his name made her heart grow wings, the way his touch made her feel whole.

She remembered how her nights used to be spent on the phone with him for hours, and her mornings spent the same way. She recalled late dinners at diners and after work drinks at bars that felt more like real dates than her actual ones. His eyes were her home, and his arms...her safe haven. "Yes," she finally whispered, answering her captain as a tear rolled down her cheek. She sniffled, and then repeated, "Yes." She heard Cragen mumble something to himself, and then, as he told her he was on his way, he hung up on her.

"You're crying," the voice that turned her to jelly hit her ears.

She turned to him. "You're bleeding," she said, wide-eyed, running to him. She ran her hands over his face, his body. "Oh, my God, El, there's...so much blood..." she lifted his shirt and smoothed her fingers over his skin, trying to find a wound.

"None of it's mine," he assured her, kissing her hard. "He's...he's unconscious, cuffed to the banister. He gave me a description of the guy, but it...it could be a few people, baby." He looked at her for a moment, kissed her again, and ran his fingers through her hair. "Why are you crying?"

She shook her head, sniffling again, and said, "I just...Cragen asked me if...if what he saw at the diner meant what he thought it meant. He asked me...if I was in love with you." She looked up at him, tears still rolling out of her eyes and down her cheeks. "I told him...I told him the truth, and when I thought about how much...how deeply in...and how I almost lost..." she choked on a sob and dropped her head to his chest, shaking in his arms.

"Shh," he consoled, rubbing her back and kissing every bit of her face and head that he could. "I'm not going anywhere. No one's going to hurt us, and you're not going to lose me. Ever."

Taking a deep breath, she nodded. "But I almost did," she whispered. "More times in the past month than ever, and I can't...not now, I mean, we have plans." She laughed and wiped her eyes. "Pretty fucking amazing plans."

He nodded, smiling. "Ones I intend to follow through," he told her. He kissed her lips again, his thumbs wiping away her tears, and he said, "Did you tell Cragen we need a bus?"

She shook her head but said, "He figured that out for himself when I told him you were alone with Haven." She chuckled and wrapped her arms around his neck. The sirens wailing in the distance grew louder, closer, and she said, "Before we get tossed into the middle of a shit-storm..."

He stopped her with a deep, powerful kiss. His moan melded with hers, his hands gripped her skin as hers tore at his, and he pulled her so close to his body it hurt. He pulled away, breathing hard, and said, "I love you. I love you so much." He drew one hand away from her and wiped his own eyes, the bottled up emotions getting the best of him now that Haven was no longer a problem.

Looking into his eyes, she saw her entire world, swirling in a sea of blue love and devotion and desire, and she said, "I love you, too."

He kissed her again, this time it was desperate, acknowledging that he almost lost her, too, and he couldn't live with that. Someone yelled their names, a familiar voice, and Elliot begrudgingly pulled away from her. "Up here!" he yelled back, still staring into Olivia's eyes. His own thoughts and feelings were reflecting back at him, and he smiled.

"Man, what the hell happened?" the man walking into the room asked.

"Fin," Elliot said, turning and pulling the man into a small, brotherly hug, "I'm so fucking glad to see you, but why are you here?"

Fin eyed Olivia for a minute, and then said, "All our communication went out, I drove my ass out here because I couldn't wait for Morales to fix it. You guys okay? How the fuck did that bastard get in? You're supposed to have detail outside."

Elliot licked his lips and nodded. "Yeah, we know. We were just, uh, kinda wondering where the fuck Porter went, actually."

"Porter was your detail?" Fin asked, seeming perplexed. "He, uh, he's in the hospital. He got into an accident on the...oh, man, he was on his way here. Damn."

Olivia looked at Elliot. "That's why he wasn't out there when Haven got here." She looked back at Fin. "Is he okay?"

"He'll be fine," Fin told her. "I got EMTs checking on Haven. Did you push him down the stairs or something? He's got a lot of broken bones."

Elliot bit his lips together to keep from grinning. "Yeah, totally in self defense."

Fin pulled on Elliot's shirt. "I see that, man, but even if it wasn't, ya know, no one would blame you." He looked at Olivia and smiled. "Cragen called me while I was driving here, he's coming. Let's get you guys cleaned up and ready to go home."

Olivia looked at Elliot, who returned her strained gaze, and she knew that he was thinking the same thing she was. Not caring that Fin was in the room, she kissed him. "I am home," she whispered, "As long as I'm with you."

Fin looked at Elliot, one eyebrow raised. "Damn," he said, "You're explaining this when we get back."

Olivia laughed as she followed Elliot and Fin out of the bedroom, listening to them bicker and babble, and it was a bit of normalcy that gave her some comfort after a tumultuous month. Her smile faded, though, when they reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Baby," Elliot said, "What's the matter?" He saw the look in her eyes, and he knew. Going home didn't mean they're ordeal was over. It only meant they had bigger problems, someone else that wanted him dead and would be close enough to do it himself, and the heavy consequences of their shifted relationship would have to be dealt with. He took a breath and smiled at her, gave her a wink, and took her hand.

She relaxed and squeezed his hand, and then settled against him, looping her arms around his waist as they walked out onto the porch to wait for Cragen.

If he didn't give her the impression he was just as scared as she was, he would give her strength. That alone was worth stifling his own fears. At least, until he really had to face them.

 _ **Peace and Love**_

 _ **Jo**_

 _ **MarchCommaJo on Twitter**_


	19. Chapter 19

**_Law and Order: SVU is the intellectual property of Dick Wolf. The use of the characters, settings, and plotlines is not malicious. This is a work of fiction._**

"Shit," he gasped, hearing the shaky bed creak beneath him. He heard another, louder, more pleasing sound, and his eyes widened. "Shh," he said, moving one hand over Olivia's mouth. He pressed down, trying to muffle her moans as he moved his body.

Her eyes rolled backward and her hips rose to meet his, thrust for glorious thrust. She clawed at his hand, not trying to get it away from her mouth but to muffle her moans even more.

He bent his head and nipped at her ear. "God, you feel so fucking good," he growled softly. "Hot, wet, tight...for me."

His hot, heavy breath and his words sent shivers coursing through her and her body bucked upward. The bed creaked again, and she rolled her eyes both in response to the noise and the way he hit into her.

He wasn't sure where such primal need was coming from, but he was driving into her with force, speed, and power. Grunts and curses left his mouth, from his throat, with every slap of his skin against hers. "Can't fucking get enough of you, baby."

She felt her body heat rise, a slow burn from the tips of her toes, and she almost screamed into the palm of his hand, but moved in a way that begged him not to stop, needing just as much as he did.

"Oh, fucking..." he panted, moving onto his knees. He grabbed her legs and pulled hard, chuckling as her head slid off the lumpy pillow and hit the mattress. He thrust harder as he lifted her legs up and wound them around his torso, angling her hips a bit. "Quiet," he warned, and then he moved his hand away from her mouth. He laughed again at the expression on her face, like a drugged kitten, with her lips pressed together tightly and her eyes locked on his. He turned his head and kissed the skin of her legs that he could reach, and trailed his fingers lightly up her thigh, until his thumb found a home.

Her eyes bulged then and she grabbed frantically for his hand, pulling it back toward her mouth. She sucked on two of his fingers while he strummed her clit like an acoustic guitar, and when she began to clench, she bit down hard on the meat of his palm and let out a feral, high-pitched growl.

"Holy shit," he spat harshly, her body latching onto him too tightly for him to move. He didn't need to, though; watching her writhe and thrash beneath him caused his own hard and mighty release. He stifled the urge to grunt any louder than he was, swallowing a yell that had built in his throat, and every muscle in his body tightened and seized as his cock twitched inside of her, spilling into her.

After what seemed like hours but was truly only fleeting moments, he fell onto her and dropped soft kisses to her heaving chest and licked at the pulsing vein in her neck. "Never," he said, "felt like that," he paused to kiss her glistening skin, "before." He lapped at her hard-beating pulse and skimmed his fingertips up her hot body.

She shivered and trembled at his touch, chuckling as a small orgasm rolled through her. "Oh, my God," she whispered. "I can't believe we just did that."

"We're not at work," he said smugly, his lips trailing across her chin. "So technically, they can't say shit."

She laughed and ran her hands through his short hair, sighing happily as she looked up at him. "That was incredible."

He nodded eagerly, agreeing, and kissed her lips. "I meant it," he began, "When I said it was never like that before. I don't know what came over me, but, damn, you just took whatever I gave, and I have...never felt..."

She held a finger to his lips and shook her head. "Me either," she breathed. "And, uh, I can take whatever you give, as long as you know eventually, I'll give it right back." She winked at him and smirked as he moved in for a kiss, which she gladly accepted. When he pulled away, she blinked once, and said, "You didn't have anything to prove, though."

"What?" he questioned, furrowing his brow. "I wasn't trying to..."

"When we got back," she interrupted, her nails still grazing his scalp through his short hair, "Kathy ran to you like a hungry wolf. I heard, uh, she's dropping the kids off later, and I...I heard what else she said to you, what she asked of you, and before you get defensive, I heard what you told her. I think that's...that's what brought out the animal just now. You didn't have to do that, I'm not going anywhere."

He looked down at her, stunned. "No, I...this wasn't that." He licked his lips and kissed her sweetly. "She knew there was no chance of us getting back together, at all, so even asking me to try was pointless. I think..." he brushed her hair back and swiped his nose against hers. "We had a lot of time to explore, baby. I know how and where you like to be touched, I know how to drive you crazy, I know what you want, what you don't want...and after what happened with Haven, I...knowing there's still someone out there after me, after us, I just...this was me being..."

She cut him off with a searing kiss, her hands wrapping around his neck and her hips bucking upward, sucking him deeper into her than he was. "We both get possessive. Now we know...we can, uh, vent." She grinned and kissed him again, moaning when his hands slipped down her still-heated skin, giving her goose-bumps. "There's a reason, you know."

"For what?" he questioned, relishing in the feel of her body against his.

"I get possessive...because I wanted you for so long, and now that I have you, I'm not giving you up." She had tears in her eyes. "Not for anything, or anyone, and whoever this asshole is, if he wants you, he'd better be prepared to go through me, and he's not going to..."

He slanted his lips over hers, slowly kissing her, the light smacking sounds filling the room. "You know I feel the same fucking way. No one's gonna touch you, baby. Well, except me." With another laugh, he kissed her and slowly peeled his body away from her. "We should get down there. See what they got out of Haven."

With a begrudging sigh, she sat up and looked around. "These beds, uh, aren't that uncomfortable."

He rose to his feet and bent to pick up their discarded clothes. He tossed her shirt to her and then held up her silky, black underwear. "Don't bother putting these back on." He winked at her and pulled his jeans up, slipped hit feet into a pair of NYPD logo slippers, and tugged his own tee-shirt over his head. As he straightened out the hem, he eyes Olivia, watching her pull on a pair of thin, cotton sweatpants. "I love you."

The way he said it, the waver in his voice, made her head snap up to look at him. She ran to him and threw her arms around him. "I'm okay," she whispered. "You're okay. We're fine. And no one is going to..."

"I love you so much," he said, cutting out the rest of her sentence. He held her tightly, breathing her in, and slowly pulled away from her. He waited for her to put her own slippers on, and then took her by the hand and led her down the metal stairs. He saw the heads turn before he could say anything, and four teenaged bodies made a run for him. "Whoa, whoa, guys!"

Olivia laughed, watching Elliot nearly collapse into a pile with his kids, and she smiled warmly when he kissed them each on the forehead and the cheeks. What she wasn't expecting was each one to run to her next. She locked eyes with Elliot, her face betraying her confusion, and he looked to be near tears. "I'm okay..." she said slowly, hugging the Stabler brood. "I'm okay, go back to your..."

"We know what you did," Dickie, the only boy in the group, said firmly. "Thank you."

"What I did?" Olivia asked. "I didn't...I didn't do anything. We were both..."

Maureen, the oldest, held up a hand. "You pulled him out from under that car. You kept him safe, this whole time, he could have already been..." she stopped herself from saying it, because it hurt to even think about it. "Thanks, Liv."

Olivia bit her lip and nodded. "He, uh, he's my partner. It's my job to..."

"Liv," Elliot interrupted, stepping over to her. He looked at each one of his kids, and he took a deep breath, and without saying a word, he brought two fingers to the underside of Olivia's chin. He turned her head to face him, cupping it gently, and slowly moved in, bending his head, kissing her. He felt her tense, felt her body stiffen, but he only deepened the kiss. He pulled away and caught her stunned, almost panicked expression, before he spoke. "They know."

Trying to remember how to breathe, she nodded, giving Kathleen, Elliot's middle daughter, a light push toward her father. She coughed a bit, but smiled slightly when the kids were ensconced by their father again. She turned her attention toward Cragen, who looked disapprovingly at her. "What, um, what did he say?"

"He gave us a description," Cragen said, "Just like he gave you. We had a sketch artist in the room with him, and despite the amount of morphine pumping through him, it was pretty damn good." He took a thick sheet of sketch paper from Fin, turned it over with a slow sigh, and held it up to Olivia. "Look familiar?"

Her hand shot to her mouth as a throaty gasp escaped, and she slowly shook her head as she backed up toward Elliot.

He pushed his kids to one side of him and pulled Olivia into his arms, his eyes on the charcoal drawing of a man he once swore he'd never have to see again. His jaw tightened as he swallowed hard and bent his head. "Relax," he said to her. "We're totally safe here. I'm not leaving you, and I'm not letting you out of my sight." He reached one arm out and grabbed his son's collar, pulling him into what had become a group hug, and he eyed Cragen. He nodded once, and when he saw the look Cragen was giving him in return, he smirked evilly. He knew.

It was going to end.

Tonight.

 _ **Peace and Love**_

 _ **Jo**_

 _ **MarchCommaJo on Twitter**_


	20. Chapter 20

**_Law and Order: SVU is the intellectual property of Dick Wolf. The use of the characters, settings, and plotlines is not malicious. This is a work of fiction._**

Elliot had spent the last twenty minutes staring at the sketch artist's portrait of the man who was after them. He couldn't wrap his head around why, or how, but somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew this wasn't a surprise. It didn't shock him at all. What stunned him, what made him most afraid, was how close the bastard had come to succeeding; how close he'd been to losing Olivia, and losing his life. He closed his eyes tight and tried to breath deeply, an attempt to keep himself calm. He was thankful the kids had gone back home with Kathy. They didn't need to see him like this.

"You all right, man?" Fin asked, coming up behind him.

Elliot heard him, but he didn't turn around. He shrugged and his mind wandered to the woman asleep upstairs, for whom he would gladly lay down his life if it came down to it. He thought about the small moments, the brevity of them, that added up to his absolute certainty that he was in love with her. If someone were to ask him to pinpoint the exact instance he knew, he wouldn't be able to, but he would be able to give a long dissertation on why and how strongly he felt that way. He would defend Olivia, and their relationship, no matter what.

"El," Fin prodded, sitting next to him on a hard folding chair. "I'm talking to you. You okay?"

Looking at his friend, Elliot sighed and shoved the sketch away from him as he leaned back in his chair. He rubbed his face with both of his hands, and he let out a hard, heavy, audible sigh. "I don't know," he said with a shrug. He shook his head and bit his lip. "I just...I don't know. Physically, yeah, thank God, but Liv...when she found out it was him...I never want to see that look on her face, in her eyes, ever again. What...what the hell does this asshole have against me? What could he possibly gain from taking me out?"

Fin leaned closer to him, tapping on the sketch. "Think, man," he said, narrowing his eyes. "The son-of-a-bitch never liked you, you butted heads all the time...you cock-blocked him like it was your job."

"It was," Elliot scoffed.

Fin chuckled, but it was short-lived. He sighed and lowered his tone. "He hated you for it, and after that mess with Rojas, you know he's out for blood, but he can't bring himself to do it himself."

Elliot narrowed his eyes and stared at Fin for a moment. "You really think he..."

"He covered up murders before, made it so his name wasn't attached to it, until the case landed on you and Liv." Fin looked toward the stairs and then back at Elliot. "What's going on with you two anyway?"

Elliot couldn't hide the grin growing on his face, and he folded his arms as he said, "Everything. Nothing. We, uh, we just...it was time for us to..."

"Are you sleeping with her?" Fin asked, raising an eyebrow.

Both of Elliot's brows rose in response. "What the hell, man?" He looked around, lowered his voice, and said, "No, I'm not just...it's more than that, okay? What's happening with us, it's right, and it's..." he let out a hard breath. "I know everyone around here thinks we hooked up because we almost dies, but I was making a move before that car hit us. I've been in love with her for a long fucking time, and the minute I think I'm ready to make her mine, some asshole tries to rip it all away from me!" He slammed the palm of his hand down on his desk and grunted, his jaw tight. "I'm not losing her. Not now. Not ever." He looked back at Fin. "Over my dead body."

"Man," Fin said, nodding back at the pencil-drawn picture. "That's exactly what that asshole wants."

Elliot closed his eyes and shook his head. "He's not gonna get it," he said, pushing his chair back and standing. "When he gets here, you let me know. I've got a few things I'd like to..."

"You know you can't talk to him," Fin said, furrowing his brow. "You're the victim, here, and the only way Cragen could get him here was to tell him you were both dead! He thinks he's coming to run an investigation."

Elliot looked Fin dead in the eyes and smirked, and he said, "Well, it's gonna be a bit of a shock when I walk in on his interrogation, then, won't it?" He tugged on his tee-shirt and turned around, leaving Fin at his desk as he walked up the metal staircase to the bunk room. He opened the door quietly and closed it behind him, as softly as he could. He toed off his slippers and slipped into the bed beside Olivia.

As if she knew, she rolled over a bot and looped an arm around him, kissed his neck, and whispered, "Where have you been?"

"Down there," he said, kissing her forehead, "Thinking." He took a breath and found her lips in the dark, kissing her softly. "They're bringing him in," he whispered to her.

Her eyes popped open, her head shot up. "What? Are you serious? Here? Now?"

"Baby, calm down," he said, running his hands over her shoulders, trying to soothe her. "He's not going to hurt either of us, he thinks we're..."

Before he could finish his sentence, a loud, booming voice carried up the stairs, frantic and fierce.

"Shh," Elliot whispered to Olivia as he climbed out of the bed. He went over to the door and opened it on a crack, hoping to hear more clearly. What he heard scared him, pissed him off, and made him feel just a bit of pride.

"You got the guy, right?" the voice yelled. He sounded as if he was crying. "Tell me you got the guy! God, he killed them? Both of them? How?"

Fin's voice answered. "Broke into their safe-house, shot Liv, beat Elliot to death," he said stoically. "If you, uh, want to talk to the guy, he's in interrogation room two."

Elliot turned to look at Olivia, a crooked eyebrow and a matching grin. "He didn't want anything to happen to you," he said, holding out a hand.

She put her palm in his and let him pull her out of the bed. "Guess not," she said, curling herself inward and wrapping her arms around Elliot. "What are we gonna do?"

"Give them ten minutes," he told her, "Then go downstairs and rock Porter's world."

 _ **Peace and Love**_

 _ **Jo**_

 _ **MarchCommaJo on Twitter**_


	21. Chapter 21

**_Law and Order: SVU is the intellectual property of Dick Wolf. The use of the characters, settings, and plotlines is not malicious. This is a work of fiction._**

The faces behind the glass were stunned as they contorted and twisted, trying to discern if the emotions coming from the lone man in the interrogation room were genuine. Fin had stayed quiet as Porter badgered Haven, never once letting on that he knew it was Porter's idea to begin with. What was truly unbelievable, though, was how angry and violent Porter had been, berating the man for "killing" Olivia. To save Haven's life, he had to be removed from the room. No easy task, since many of his limbs were in casts and slings. Fin had left Porter alone, then, and joined Cragen, Dr. Huang, Novak, Elliot, and Olivia in the viewing room.

"What do you think?" Fin asked, crossing his arms, staring at the distraught federal agent through the window.

"I think he's a dead man," Elliot spat through clenched teeth. His nostrils flared and his chest puffed out. He felt Olivia's hands running up and down his arms, and he closed his eyes, trying to calm down for her sake.

Cragen ignored the display of affection to his left and said, "He looks really upset. I don't think he wanted Haven to hurt Liv. I don't see him spilling any tears over you, though, Elliot. That's what we need to figure out. Once he gives up, tells us the truth, we'll spring the two of you on him." He waited a beat. "No, you can't kill him."

Elliot huffed in response and turned, pulling Olivia fully into his arms. He kissed the crown of her head and mumbled something only she could hear. He felt her nod against his chest and tugged her head up with one finger, nestled under her chin. He looked into her eyes momentarily before he kissed her lips softly. "Promise?" he whispered to her.

She nodded again, offering as bright a smile as she could, and kissed him again. She looked at Cragen, ignoring the angry eyes of Casey Novak glaring at her. "How can you be sure he's going to talk, in the first place?"

Cragen too a breath. "Fin's going back in there, with Haven's written statement, and, uh, his financial statements. We found the withdrawal from Porter's account, the transfer into Haven's. For an FBI agent, he didn't think too much about paper trails."

"So he did this," Olivia breathed sadly. "He really did this. El, he..." she looked up into his eyes and shook her head. "I almost lost you...because of him..."

Elliot pressed a finger to her lips. "You didn't," he said gently. "Stop. I'm here, I'm okay. We're okay."

She nodded with pressed-together lips, an attempt to keep from crying, and she held him tighter as her head turned with the sound of the door hitching. Fin had gone back into the room. Her eyes widened as she saw Fin toss a stack of papers at Porter, and she watched Dean's eyes widen in turn, the color drained from his face, and the fear seeped into his demeanor.

"Son-of-a-bitch," Elliot hissed, pulling Olivia against him tighter. "Can I please just..."

"No," the word rang out from both Cragen and Olivia.

Elliot chuckled and looked down at his lover. "Why not?" he asked, a twinkle of lightness in his eyes.

She sniffled and nuzzled against his chest as she said, "I don't have a house I can put up as collateral to bail your ass out."

Laughter broke the tension in the room, a moment of easiness washed over them, but then Fin gave them the signal. Olivia shivered for a moment in Elliot's arms, and then felt herself being pushed toward the door. She righted herself and made a promise to stay between Elliot and Dean, protecting her partner more than the bastard who tried to kill him. When she stepped into the room, she saw Dean's eyes widen even more.

"Oh, my God, Olivia," Dean gasped, rising. "They told me...you were dead, I thought...I thought that..." and then his eyes landed on Elliot. "You? You're..."

"Alive?" Elliot scoffed. "Yeah. Sucks, huh?"

Dean ran toward Olivia, but Elliot moved her and despite her struggle to keep him at bay, he took a threatening lunge for Porter. "You sorry-ass son-of-a-bitch! You stay away from her!"

Olivia tugged on Elliot's hand, pulling him back and keeping him in check. "Please," she whispered, eyeing Elliot hopefully.

He turned to look at her, nodded once, and let her sink into him. "Sorry," he mumbled.

She nodded against his chest, but turned to look at Dean. "Why?" she asked. "Just...tell me why."

"You really believe I was behind this?" Dean asked, looking at her, pleadingly. "Fin handed me this pile of...garbage, but you honestly think I would..."

"Yeah," Elliot barked. "We fucking do! Haven gave you up! You asshole, the money, from you to him, so unless you can say..."

Dean held up a hand, looking down at the cement floor, defeated. "You." He pointed one finger at Elliot. "You, but not...not kill you. Just...take you out of commission. Just long enough to..."

"Long enough to what?" Elliot broke in again, his voice rising with his temperature. If he hadn't been holding onto Olivia, he would have attacked Dean at that moment. "You think putting me in a coma would have somehow kept her from loving me? A body cast would really stop us from being together? I got news for you, pal, she would have been right by my side, until I was back on my feet, and there would be..."

"You self-righteous son-of-a-bitch," Dean snapped, shaking his head. "For one thing, this whole thing was a sting to get Haven. He hired himself out as a hitman, and the first person who hired him wanted you dead, too," he explained.

"Koehler," Olivia breathed, digging her nails into Elliot's back.

Dean nodded. "When the tables turned, and the good judge bit the dust, Haven put feelers out for someone else who wanted the two of you out of the way, and rather than take the chance that someone with honest intent got a hold of him, the bureau made him an offer, one he'd be a fool to turn down." He flopped into his seat and made a disbelieving grunt. "He was told to meet me, plan it out, and then, instead of following my rules, he tried to run you over, twice." He ran a hand down his face. "I offered to be your detail..."

"Because you knew he'd really go through with it," Olivia finished for him. "You were...using us..."

"As bait," Dean said, nodding. He licked his lips. "Granted, I didn't care one way or another, if Stabler made it out of this alive, but I swear on my life, Olivia, he was given direct orders not to hurt you."

"Killing him?" she fumed, pushing Elliot away and gesturing madly toward him, her unshed tears now pouring from her eyes with anger and vengeance. "You don't think losing him would have fucking hurt me? Are you out of your goddamned mind?"

"Hey," Elliot whispered, pulling her back into his arms.

Olivia shook her head and glared at Dean. "You fucking left us in that house, alone! What was that about? Fin said something about an accident, but there was no accident, was there?" She tried to pry herself out of Elliot's grip but he had her pressed against him too firmly. "You lied, you son-of-a-bitch! You were never coming to stop him, because you wanted him to..."

"Yes! Fine!" Dean yelled, his own temper finally reaching a boiling point. "I wanted Elliot Stabler out of my way, once and for all, but God, you have to believe me, he was not supposed to try to hurt you!"

"Those people," Elliot said, surprisingly calm, "The ones who broke into the house, the first time, those were..."

"Agents," Dean said, rubbing his forehead. "I told them...I told them it was a sting op, that you two were a threat to national security. Haven was..."

"Taking too long," Elliot hissed, shaking his head in disgust. "So, what, you wanted me gone because I got in the way of you and Liv? You didn't have any hope of another chance with her, even with me dead." He sneered at Dean. "She doesn't want anything to do with..."

"With you out of the way," Dean interrupted, "She wouldn't be able to work at SVU. Or any other department in the NYPD. Not without going crazy, am I right?" He laughed bitterly and said, "I'd offer her a new job, a new life, far away from anything that could possibly remind her of you, and eventually, she'd forgive me for hurting her, before. And what you two had...I would have with her." He leaned back in his chair and smiled smugly. "There's your truth."

"Read him his rights," Elliot said, looking at Fin. "Before I do something I'm going to regret."

Fin moved, but Porter held up a hand a grinned smugly. "I think I've proven I'm above the law," Dean said. "I've gotten away with murder before, you can't prove anything, and, uh, since you're both alive, anyway, there really isn't anything you can charge me with. Nothing that would stick, anyway. So you two...go somewhere and... fuck each other's brains out, and get over it." He smoothed out his tie. "I'll see you the next time I have a federal case that you..."

"You really are crazy," Olivia said, shocked, her eyes wide and her jaw half-dropped. "We...everything you just said...is on tape, Dean."

Dean blinked. "No, no, you...you don't record your interrogations," he said, narrowing his eyes. "There's nothing you can do to me. I'm above your..."

Olivia silenced him by moving the collar of her tee shirt, revealing a bit of wire and a small microphone. "This wasn't an SVU interrogation."

The door opened behind her, and Dr. Huang along with two other federal agents walked into the room. Elliot smirked with a ferocity in his eyes that would scare the devil himself. "Have fun trying to talk your way out of it, this time," he said. He took one, single step, lowered his voice, and looked into Dean's eyes. "If you ever, ever, come anywhere near her, me, or the rest of my family again, I will kill you. And unlike you, I'll get the job done right, the first time. No one would ever find your body."

"That's...that's on tape, you know," Dean said, pale and shaky.

Elliot nodded. "Good." He let out a threatening growl and moved with Olivia back through the door, letting Huang and the FBI handle the rest of Dean's interrogation. He watched as Olivia pulled the wire and recorder off of her chest and hand it to Cragen. He reached for her again, and let out a hard breath when she fell into him and curled herself around him. He caught Casey's eyes, and though he knew what the hidden emotion in her eyes meant, he nodded at her. "Go for the max, Novak."

Casey nodded back at him. "Absolutely," she said, and she rested a hand on Olivia's shoulder, the jealousy not enough to overshadow friendship. "I'm really...sorry this all happened, but I'm glad you're okay." She looked at Elliot. "Both of you."

Elliot nodded again and kissed Olivia's forehead as Casey left the room to make arrangements and put Porter's arraignment on the calendar. "So," he said with a long, drawn out breath as he turned to look at Cragen. "What does this mean for us?"

Cragen blinked, looking at him, and his lips curled into a hesitant smile. "It means you have trial prep, starting tomorrow."

Elliot narrowed his eyes. "Cap, I meant..."

"I know what you meant," Cragen said, shrugging. "I saw this coming. I just...didn't want to have to deal with it and, at the same time, deal with almost losing the two of you. It's Tucker's call, to be honest, and what you do with your life is no concern of his, unless it starts affecting your work."

"It won't," Olivia's meek voice stated. "You know it won't."

Cragen smiled. "Of course, I do. I wouldn't be ignoring it if I didn't." He sighed and said, "Go home, get some sleep. Tomorrow morning, it's back to work for the two of you, now that you're...safe."

They watched Cragen leave, and then spent a few minutes just staring at each other, silently. Elliot was the first to speak as he led her out into the squad room. "I've been safe, the whole time." He kissed her lips. "So have you. I was never...I will never let anything happen to you." He grabbed her jacket and wrapped her up in it, and kissed her again. He pulled on his own coat and said, "Whenever I'm with you, Liv, that's home for me. You're my safe..."

She stopped his words with a sweet kiss. "Haven," she whispered. And as they walked out of the unit, they left behind the trauma and pain of a long, difficult month, and headed into something new, something bright, together.

 _ **Peace and Love**_

 _ **Jo**_

 _ **MarchCommaJo on Twitter**_


End file.
